Gifts from God: Unexpected, Undeserved, and Amazing

For Christmas in July, Suzanne Beck recalls the wonder of the moment when her children received an unexpected big gift.

It was the early 1990s and the rage was the all-new Mario Brothers video game, which was played on the brand-new (original) Nintendo. My 5- and 7-year-old sons rarely watched TV, but of course, they visited friends who had the coveted set. So began a campaign that they too needed one! At that time, we were a household free from video games and it was my intention, at least, to keep it that way. When the boys would ask for any video-game related items, the answer was always the same: “There’s no way that we are buying you video games until you are 18. Period.” “No, not until you are 18.” “What did I say before?”

One evening our family was visiting another family home where the dads and kids all played Mario together. I saw the fun they had together, saw the no-video-game resolve in my husband start to wane a bit, and knew I had probably lost the battle. However, I kept up with the “not-til-you-are-18!” mantra, hoping it might work. The boys knew I was serious, but they were still kids, so they still asked, which was sometimes like a faucet on slow drip!

Everyone has different Christmas traditions and, as Catholics, ours was light on the Santa angle.

“Santa” presents were opened on Christmas Eve, followed by an evening of family fun, dinner, and games, usually ending in midnight Mass. Presents from Mom and Dad were opened on Christmas morning, and, thanks to midnight Mass, this was usually a late and lazy affair with each person the center of attention as they slowly opened each of their gifts.

I had never a big proponent of Santa, (probably because I didn’t want anyone else to get credit for gifts I bought!) but went along with the idea. My personal solution was to wrap both Santa (Christmas Eve) and family (Christmas morning) gifts in the same wrapping paper, so if anyone was watching over the two events, they could put easily put two and two together. At those ages, there had been discussions about who Santa was, and I think at that point they were skeptical, but hopeful.

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On Christmas morning that year, the big present was the last and it was labeled to both boys. They excitedly tore into it, but stopped cold when the torn-off paper revealed the word “Nintendo.” They both literally froze, incredulous. Mark looked at me with the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen and the most wonder I’ve ever heard in a child’s voice: “Mom, there HAS to be a Santa because you NEVER would have bought this for us!” (I still get teary-eyed at that memory.)

That gift brought us many years of fun. We had contests to see who could get the farthest in Mario. Dad finally won that one and we celebrated big-time with a big party, complete with cake, a Mario centerpiece, Mario noisemakers and balloons. Many, many years later, the basic Mario game is still one of their favorites, and now we have adult contests!

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God’s gifts are more life-giving, more satisfying, and more enduring than any other gift we could be given. #CatholicMom

I often think of the look of wonder in Mark’s voice that Christmas when I think about the gifts that God has given me. Gifts that come, not only at Christmas, but that are SO unexpected, SO undeserved, SO overwhelmingly amazing that I feel the same sense of wonder. Yet God’s gifts are more life-giving, more satisfying, and more enduring than any other gift we could be given (even a Nintendo!). I’m so grateful for His love and the many, many gifts He showers on me each day.

Why not take a moment to think of times when you’ve been in awe and wonder at His generous gifts—and then thank Him one more time for each one.

If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. (Matthew 7:11)