WOW Factor

I was chatting with my big bro the other day about Christmas gifts and I mentioned something about a gift having a "WOW factor". As soon as I said it I knew something was off. It felt weird. Like I was a different person, similar to who I usually am, but just tweaked a little. I brushed the feeling off and continued on my merry little gift analyzing way.

But the words kept coming back.

"Wow factor".

It was unsettling.

(Disclaimer: Ya'll know by now that I mull things, words, over and over, sometimes for days/months, before I can pinpoint exactly the feeling behind them. I haven't quite reached the perfect stewing point yet with this one but I feel like this is time sensitive, so I'm going write a little prematurely here. Forgive me if it's a bit choppy.)

There is a sweet, sweet joy in giving gifts at Christmas. The entire reason why we give gifts at all is a direct response to the Greatest Gift we were given; Jesus. The whole concept of giving gifts is to reflect  God's sacrificial giving to us. It's one of the reasons we don't do a whole lot of Santa around our house. (He didn't give us anything, why should he get so much credit?) When I give a gift in this season I want there to be an element of "If you think this is good just wait till you hear about the gift God gave us…"

I fear I've missed the mark this year.

I've spent a whole lot of time, and money, aiming for the present itself to be the big deal, not the heart behind it. Not that my intentions were all wrong. Part of giving gifts is thinking about each person and what would make them feel super excited and loved, and I did that. But this year, in all the hustle and bustle of moving and finishing up school and having parties I think my focus shifted and the Greatest Gift was pushed aside for some sparkly plastic.

I'm writing this now, as incomplete as it feels, because we have (counting today) 5 days, FIVE DAYS,   left until Christmas. It's not too late! There is time to make Jesus, the most needed, unexpected, exciting gift ever given, the focus again.
There's time to make him the WOW factor.

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