Read: John 3:14-21

“It’s so pretty!” said five-year-old Julia as she stood at the rope barricade and stared in wonder at the shiny balls, glittering stars, and sparkling snow on a Christmas tree at the mall. “Is the snow on the Christmas tree real?”

“No,” said Julia’s older sister, Dakota. “It comes in a spray can, and you just spray it on.”

“It looks so real,” said Julia, disappointed. “Who are all the presents under the tree for?”

“They’re not real presents,” said Dakota. “They’re empty boxes wrapped to look like presents—just part of the decorations. They’re supposed to get people in the mood to buy Christmas presents.”

Julia could hardly believe that the beautifully wrapped boxes were empty. She wanted to reach over the barricade, pick one up, and shake it.

Back home, Julia told her mother about the tree. “The snow looked so real, and the presents did too, but Dakota says they’re just empty boxes. Are they really?”

“I’m afraid so,” said Mom. “Even though they’re covered in shiny paper and colorful bows, there’s nothing inside.”

“That’s sad,” said Julia. “It’s not real at all—it’s a fake Christmas!”

“In a way, it is,” said Mom. “And we wouldn’t want to celebrate a fake Christmas, would we? Not at the mall, and not at our house.”

“At our house?” Julia giggled. “We don’t wrap empty boxes and put them under the tree!”

“No,” said Mom. “But if we’re not careful, the things we do to celebrate Christmas—all the parties and gifts and decorations—can distract us from the real reason we celebrate Christmas—Jesus coming to earth to save us from sin. He’s the true gift of Christmas, and without Him, Christmas is empty, just like one of those empty boxes wrapped in pretty paper.”

“So is it bad to do those things, like give each other presents or decorate the house?” Julia asked.

“Of course not!” said Mom. “But those things are like the pretty paper we use to wrap the gifts we give each other—it’s not the gift itself. And all the fun things we do at Christmas point us to the real reason we celebrate—God sending His Son to the world to save us and give us eternal life.”

–Pauline Youd

How about you? Do you celebrate the real reason for Christmas? Or do you just focus on buying gifts or getting presents? At Christmas, we celebrate God giving us the best present ever—Himself. He sent Jesus to save us from sin so we could have eternal life with Him. If you haven’t received that gift, do it today by trusting in Jesus. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Celebrate the true gift of Christmas