It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas has finally come! We have celebrated our Christmas with classmates, teachers and acquaintances last December 17 at STI Muñoz. And I’m sure you all had a blast with all the activities and competitions you’ve seen, if not participated in. Now that Christmas is here, let us talk about what it really means to us.

The New Testament recounts Jesus’s nativity in Luke 2:1-20 while the visitation of the magi (wise men) was told in Matthew 2:1-12. If you will read those verses, you will find one common thing about their celebration. They (Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the magi and even the animals in the manger) celebrated the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The gift-giving we do today every Christmas since time immemorial dates back from the day the magi gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, each one symbolizing something for the Baby Jesus (To know about their symbolisms, read the article I’ve written in September entitled “Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh”). The tradition of gift-giving that people from all over the world do is a way to give love on Christmas day, just as the Lord did when He sacrificed His son for us as a gift for mankind to be saved.

But what makes gift-giving different today from the day of Jesus’s birth?
When Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago, the magi offered gifts to Him. Today, we offer gifts to our loved ones, which by doing so, is already like giving gifts to our Lord. Okay, that is acceptable. But the gifts given to him were so precious – only given to kings. Not only are the gifts expensive, but they also symbolize that the givers exalt his majesty. What then, do our material gifts symbolize? How will these gifts bought, whether expensive or not, praise the name of the Lord Jesus?

Uhm… you might be thinking the same thing I’m thinking. Yes, that is a tough question to answer. So let me change my question to the one I asked during the Table Topics Competition in Mystique Coolture Gavel Club’s Christmas meeting last December 17: If you were one of the magi, what gift would you gift to Jesus and why?

The winner was Roniel Tecson of Psyclique Club. His answer was very simple. If he were one of the magi, he would give himself as a present to Jesus. It’s not that he would literally die and give himself to Jesus, but he would dedicate his life and everything he does to Him. After listening to his speech, my heart was enlightened. Indeed, we need not spend for gifts. The true meaning of giving gifts to Jesus is proclaiming our love for Him by spreading the good news of salvation. In our everyday life, we must make Him feel that His presence abounds in us and that we are so grateful to be saved by Him. In everything we do, we give Him the honor. In everything we experience, we give him praise. Everyday should be a Christmas full of forgiveness, hope, joy and love.

In other words, we must leave all our heavy baggage for the year that is about to end. And welcome each other with a hug and a kiss as the clock strikes midnight on Christmas eve. Let us give love and celebrate our salvation through the Lord Jesus, the true meaning of Christmas.
Have a peaceful and bountiful Christmas to all!

By: Erika M. Ilagan