Putting Up Our Christmas Tree

Jake Frost's family adventure of getting and decorating a Christmas tree reminds him that the greatest Christmas gift is the gift of self.

The best Christmas presents aren’t gifts of something, but gifts of someone. And when that someone is dear to us, the gift is all the more precious.

Last weekend we put up our Christmas tree, and it was our best Christmas tree decorating endeavor in years.

Everyone joined in all parts of the festivities, from the high-schooler down to the baby.

We loaded in the van and set-off toward the country, singing along with the 24/7 Christmas station. At the tree farm there was a big red barn decked out in wreathes and garlands, a fire pit with a crackling fire of pine logs, hot cider, and Christmas trees everywhere!

The smell of pine was divine.

We ambled through rows of trees set-up amid farm buildings and goat pens, pulling out a tree here and there to assess, kibitz, debate, and vote.

None was quite right, so we grabbed a saw and sled and headed for the fields to cut our own.

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Tromping through the fields we enjoyed more jocular banter considering the differing merits of the various evergreen contenders until, pushing through a line of firs, we saw it: the fabled Perfect Christmas Tree, shimmering before us in all its Christmassy glory.

Debate was ended. By unanimous and immediate acclamation we knew we’d found our tree.

Everyone wanted a turn with the saw, so it took some time to finally get it onto the sled and pulled to the barn. But finally it was shaken, bundled, and loaded for the trip home, where homemade cookies awaited to refresh and re-vivify our red-cheeked band of tree searchers for the decorating party.

And the party was wonderful, with lots of “oohs” and “aahs” as ornaments were unwrapped and held aloft for all to see, prompting many a story beginning, “I remember when ...”

That night, after it was all over and the kids were tucked in bed, I sat in the living room enjoying the glow of twinkling lights from the tree and wondered why things went so well this year. Not all our family activities do.

We had a new baby six months ago, when our next youngest was 9 and our oldest in high school. Over the last few years, with the kids getting older, the nature of home and family demands on my wife and me shifted, and maybe some of our focus shifted, too, drifting more toward work and activities outside the home.

But the new baby drew us back into the family. As the angel Gabriel put it, we found our hearts turning again toward our children (Luke 1:17).

Babies have a way of doing that.

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Maybe that’s part of why Jesus came as a baby, to draw our attention to what God values, which may be different from what the world prioritizes. Scripture tells us that a parent turning his heart toward his children is “great” in the sight of the Lord (Luke 1:15).

It’s made a difference for our family. Our Christmas tree weekend was a fruit of that change.

The joy wasn’t from the tree, or what will be under the tree before very long, but from the people gathered around the tree.

It was from appreciating those gathered together and letting them move into the focus of our thoughts and attention.

That was the first and greatest gift of Christmas. It wasn’t gold, frankincense, or myrrh. Those came later. On Christmas, the gift was a gift of self: Jesus came to give us the first and greatest Christmas present of all: Himself.

The gift of self is still the secret magic of Christmas, and when those we love most give us the gift of themselves, like parents giving that time and attention to their children, hearts can be transformed.

Click to tweet:
The first and greatest gift of Christmas was a gift of self: Jesus came to give us the first and greatest Christmas present of all. #CatholicMom

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