What Can I Give Him, Poor as I Am?

Three years ago, my eldest boy, Taylor, was three years old.
Three is a magical age for this time of year.

• Taylor, 2008 •

It was just days before Christmas, and I was tucking him into bed.  We had read a story, said his prayers, had hugs and kisses, and turned out the light.  There in the darkness, just as I was about to head for bed myself, I heard Taylor's little voice.

"Mom?"
"Yes, honey?"

Turning to face him, I noticed a most concerned expression on his face.

He sighed.

"I just don't know what to get Jesus for His birthday!"

I paused for a moment, wanting to respond with the same sincerity he was showing.  In the quiet darkness of his room, one of my favorite carols came to mind.

 
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part.
Yet what can I give Him?  
Give my heart.
("In the Bleak Midwinter" music by Gustav Holst, lyrics by Christina G. Rossetti)
 
Looking at Taylor, I smiled.

"I think the best present to give Jesus would be to show kindness and be a good friend to everyone. Do you think Jesus would be happy if you were nice to your friends?"

He thought for a moment, and nodded with a grin.

"Yes, Mom, I think that's a good idea."

And with that small but significant moment, my perception of Christmas and what it could mean in the lives of my children shifted.

One of Bryson's and my favorite books to read during this season is A Christmas Carol.  If you haven't read the original words, unabridged from Charles Dickens himself, I highly recommend doing so.  There are so many beautiful passages that tend to be left out in the newer, more secularized versions.

A favorite passage comes from the dialogue between Scrooge and the ghost of Jacob Marley, as Marley laments to his old friend about what might have been:

"At this time..." the spectre said, "I suffer most.  Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode!  Were there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me!" 

More recently, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf echoed the same sentiment in his counsel to all:

“Like the Wise Men of old, [we] should seek the Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We should offer Him our love. We should give Him our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and walk in the path of discipleship. We should promise to remember Him always, to emulate His example, and to go about doing good.”
("Christmas is About the Christ," 2011 First Presidency Christmas Devotional)
 
The Book of Mormon also teaches us that if we are to serve God, we must turn our eyes and our hearts to those around us.

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.  (Mosiah 2:17)

When Christmas becomes more centered on the Savior, the presents and packages, the tinsel and trimmings, all seem dull in comparison to the everlasting gift Christ has given each of us.

It becomes less about dollars and cents, and more about service and an overwhelming sense of genuine love for all.

What can I give Him?  
Give my heart.
 
And, really, I can't think of a better gift than that.

• • •

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