Today’s Feast of the Epiphany is the 12th Day of Christmas, so there is still time to give someone a Christmas gift if you haven’t had the chance. The season of Christmas will officially end tomorrow as the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. But for most of us, all the gifts have been given and received, and we are now packing away Christmas for another year.
Most children and even some adults often receive a gift at Christmas that they just love. I can remember one Christmas as a child when one of my sisters received a doll that she loved more than anything else. She couldn’t go anywhere without it. Every time she left the house she had to take the doll with her. This doll went everywhere the family went….to church, to the store, to the park and to visit relatives. She really thought that the doll was a member of the family.
Boys can also be quite attached to that special Christmas gift. Last Tuesday when the students at St. Mary School returned from vacation, I happened to visit the first grade classroom to welcome everyone back. I asked them how their Christmas was and wanted to see if they could figure out what I meant when I told them that I hadn’t seen them since “last year”. After a few minutes of conversation one boy looked up and said, “Well, right now, I’m just really missing my legos!”
Yes, we can all get really attached to a gift we receive at Christmas and find it difficult to be separated from it. What a great approach to receiving the gift of Jesus who God gives to us each Christmas. How we treasure and love this gift from our God! What a treasure to love Jesus more than any other Christmas gift, to take him with us wherever we go, and to never want to be separated from him.
May we all learn once again from the children how it is to love that special Christmas gift. May we hold on to the gift of Jesus all through the year until we receive him again next Christmas.