Have I completed ALL of my Christmas shopping yet? No, I have not.  I was starting to freak out (as Christmas is 19 days away, and online purchases may take a while to arrive), but I was reminded in church today that Christmas isn’t about the gifts under the tree. Jesus is the reason for the season. Point. Blank. Period.

Do I thoroughly enjoy finding gifts for others (and myself)? Yes. Do I get excited whenever I find a great deal on something at the store? Yup. Does my heart get happy when I give and receive presents? Of course! But do I like that the focus of the world is more so on buying things that we don’t really need? Or that we’re so busy shopping that it diminishes family time? NOPE.

Granted, we all get a little caught up in the shopping aspect of Christmas. And I think that’s OK, just as long as we’re able to take a step back and reflect on the deeper meaning of Christmas. I always have to remind myself that although gift-giving is fun, Christmas is so much more than presents, Christmas trees and decorations. It’s about our Savior; He’s coming.

Taking things nice and slow, as I wait for Christmas to arrive will help keep me balanced. The world  tells us that we “need” more and more stuff to be happy. But in actuality, a lot of the things we buy, we sometimes hardly even use. The greatest gift of all is coming soon: Jesus.