I loved this when I read it and wanted to share it! This is what the season is all about...
We set up the evergreen tree with its gleaming, brightly colored lights; we hang wreaths and bells;
and we light candles—all to remind us of that wondrous gift, the coming of our Lord into the world of
mortality.
We send Christmas cards to numerous friends and relatives, pulling back into happy memories the
loved ones who have moved out of our immediate association. Like the wise men who opened their
treasury and presented to Jesus gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, we present to our loved ones
things to eat and wear and enjoy.
Though we make an effort to follow the pattern of gift giving, sometimes our program becomes an
exchange—gift given for gift expected. Never did the Savior give in expectation. I know of no case in
his life in which there was an exchange. He was always the giver, seldom the recipient. Never did he
give shoes, [socks], or a vehicle; never did he give perfume, a shirt, or a [coat]. His gifts were of such
nature that the recipient could hardly exchange or return the value. His gifts were rare ones: eyes to the
blind, ears to the deaf, and legs to the lame; cleanliness to the unclean, wholeness to the infirm, and
breath to the lifeless. . . . His gifts were . . . light in the darkness, forgiveness to the repentant, hope to
the despairing. His friends gave him shelter, food, and love. He gave them of himself, his love, his
service, his life. The wisemen brought him gold and frankincense. He gave them and all their fellow
mortals resurrection, salvation, and eternal life. We should strive to give as he gave.
(Spencer W. Kimball, The Gifts of Christmas, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999], p. 129.)
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