“…The time came for the baby to be born, and she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Luke 2:6-7

Christmas Eve is such a special time in Western Church culture. We have a lot of traditions that vary in churches and families. One common tradition is to have a waiting period before opening gifts. Theologians estimate the world waited over 4,000 years from when God promised to send the Messiah until His arrival. Growing up, I thought waiting from Thanksgiving until Christmas was too long.

If you know me, it won’t surprise you that we open our gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas morning. I can barely wait until then to give my family their presents. I’m always ready to give gifts when everyone enters the house.

God has given every person gifts. Some are inherently part of our makeup, such as our talents. He has also given us the gift of forgiveness of our sins, the Holy Spirit, and His Presence, which we can receive much like a Christmas gift - just by taking them. 

 Merry Christmas Eve!