Aj Schwanz

Today’s Oregonian had an article on the Advent Conspiracy due to it’s Portland ties.  One phrase in a quote caught my eye:

“These are relational gifts,” he says: God gives himself to people, so people will give of themselves to the poor.

Normally at Christmas I get caught up in the frenzy with everyone else.  Last year I had most gifts planned out before October.  Why?  Because gift giving is one of my love languages, and I fear the criticism of not giving love in the appropriate way.  And because I cave into the advertizing messages of needing to find the “perfect” gift so as to have the “perfect” holiday.

I can’t do that this year.  I’m plain too tired to run around collecting all sorts of things that folks probably won’t remember about next year.

But if it’s a “relational” gift . . . that’s something that’s more memorable.  I remember my parents giving me a cat because I had been asking for one repeatedly (plus, I think it was a guilt-gift because my dad had to be in Denver for business on my birthday).  I remember my brother making me mix cds with hilarious titles (when I was single and my brother realized I was out on the dating scene, they were mostly threats like “get your hands off my sister” along with “die, peeping tom, die” - yes, I had one of those).  I remember Jason finding me an unopened *record* of John Denver and the Muppets Rocky Mountain Holiday, an album I listened to repeatedly as a kid.  I remember many of the dolls my mama stayed up way too late making, usually the day before my parties that she threw.  I remember my dad randomly giving me a binder that had the entire New Testament printed out double spaced so that I could have room to take notes in it.  Things like that . . .

“Relational giving.”  What have been some of the best relational gifts you’ve given?  Received?  Why did they make such an impression?  I think it’s wonderful to give, to receive, but also to share the stories - to remember why and what we gift, just as we remember why and what God gifted us.