"What Do You Want For Christmas?"

Well, it’s no secret that I love to shop! One of my favorite shopping times of the year of course is “Black Friday”! Just saying that gives me chill bumps! Now, shopping on “Black Friday”, for me, is not just about being the first to get the “goods”, I love it for the sport of it! Yes, it is true! I love the crowds, the bargains, and the craziness that it brings, but most of all because it is the big kickoff for the holiday shopping season! Ahhh! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Just makes you want to break out into song, huh?

This “Black Friday” shopping was probably the most fun I have had! What began as just an evening stop on Thanksgiving night to Toys R Us with Matt & my sister to pick up some good bargains for Christmas, turned into an all night shopping adventure around Wilmington meeting lots of “interesting” people and laughing till my sides hurt! My poor husband hung in there with us all night and was such a trooper! If you are one of those brave souls who ventures out on “Black Friday”, you know the chaos that is all around. People frantic to get the perfect gift at the perfect price for their loved one for Christmas. Some people camp out with tents & sleeping bags for hours on end just to guarantee their first spot in line to get their prized possession. In many of the lines we stood in, you would catch people’s conversations asking each other what they wanted for Christmas. Even upon our return, our kids were asking each other what they wanted for Christmas. That is a very popular question right now.

So, I’m asking you, “What do you want for Christmas?”

Here we are on December 1, 2010, officially beginning the Christmas season. Christmas decorations are up, or are in the process of going up, and all the holiday parties are underway. The countdown has begun and the shopping frenzy has already commenced, but I found myself, many times over this past weekend, asking myself, “What do I want for Christmas?”

It could be very easy to get materialistic in this society and find all kinds of things that would fill up my Christmas list, but as I ponder the desires of my heart, there is only one gift that could satisfy and bring such contentment. That gift came in the form of a baby, born in a lowly manger. His name is Jesus!

Luke 2:10-12 “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

My gift is the Messiah! Any gift that I will receive on this earth, although can be very special to me, can never compare to the gift that was born over 2000 years ago in a humble stable. That precious gift was the gift of LIFE! I accepted his gift of salvation many years ago, but the gift continues to bring such peace and overwhelming humility that just makes me fall deeper in love with my Savior! You see, when you accept him as your gift, this is the gift that keeps giving. On a daily basis, the gifts I receive from my Lord produce so much gratitude. His gifts include; grace, peace, provision, love, mercy, compassion and many more that I could go on and on. You see, he tells me in his word that he wants me to live a full and abundant life.

John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Will I exchange gifts with friends and loved ones this year? Of course, and those will be fun times with gifts chosen specifically for that special person and done with much love. But in response to question laid on my own heart this weekend, “What do I want for Christmas?” Well, I want more of my Jesus! Sweet Lord, Almighty God, the Great I Am, Everlasting Father, Jehovah! That is what I want, that is what I need!

There is a song that has been dear to my heart and says exactly what my desire is this Christmas, it is my Christmas prayer…

I've touched the hem of your garments

And I have felt the leading of your hand

But today, my eyes look much higher to see the face of the great "I am"

So more of You Jesus, more of your face, more of your glory in this place!

What a glorious Christmas this will be! More of my Jesus! Imagine what this world would be if everyone desired this same precious gift for Christmas. My prayer, this December, is that this joy he gives me will spread to those around me and his glory will SHINE!

What do you want for Christmas?

Blessings~

Allison