Unwrapped Presents

It sat under the tree with my name on it. I wanted so bad pick it up and shake the package to get a hint, but was afraid that it was breakable. I wanted even more to rip the gold and silver-starred paper off the box and find out what it was, but, if I did that, my parents would, probably, ground me. So, there I sat, day in and day out, waiting the two weeks before Christmas to see if I could, by some small chance, get a clue as to what lay under that festive decor.

As Christmas day drew near, the number of presents under the tree began to grow and grow. Several of them had my name written on the tag, but none of these interested me as much as this first box. Two days before Christmas, I could no longer stand it. I had to do something to get a hint. I pulled out a ruler from my room and sat down to take the measurements of the box. It wasn't large, just eight inches long. It was four inches across and about four inches deep. It felt as though it weighed a couple of pounds, but I couldn't be sure without putting it on a scale, and I was not going to attempt to take a present from under the tree and weigh it and try to put it back without my parents noticing. I considered the list I gave my parents earlier in the month and tried to match it with something on there, but I came up empty. This puzzle kept me awake most of that night. It bothered me that I did not know what it was, but, finally, after hours of thought and self-argument, I fell asleep.

I awoke the next day, Christmas Eve, excited and anxious for the evening to come. It is tradition in my family to open one gift on Christmas Eve as an appetizer to the entree of Christmas Morning. I semi-patiently waited through the day, enjoying the football games and other activities of the day. The time came for our Christmas service at church, and we all loaded up and went. My sister, though, said she would meet us there soon, so we went on ahead and she followed, not even a minute later.

I asked her when we got to the church why she waited one more minute, but she acted like she didn't hear me and ignored the question. My answer, though, came when we got home. She had pulled a large box out, from who knows where, and put it next to the tree. It was wrapped in shiny silver paper and had a large red bow on it. I went over and looked at the tag next to the bow. It had my name on it and I was immediately intrigued. The small gold and silver package was pushed from my mind at the intrigue of this large gift. In that second, I decided to open this large package from my sister. So, a few minutes after my whole family sat down, the unanimous decision was it was time to open our one present. When it came to my turn, I tore into the paper. What it revealed was a new flat screen TV, for the apartment I just rented, and a blu-ray player. Excitement rolled through me! I couldn't believe my luck. It was the one thing I wanted most that year. For the rest of the night, my family and I talked and laughed and fiddled with/read about our new gifts, but it soon came time for bed. That night passed much quicker and more peaceful than the previous now that the small, curious package was out of my head.

The next morning, I was woken by my dog. My sister let her in and she jumped onto my bed. This, obviously, was meant for me to get up because it was time for the rest of the presents. I had fewer presents that morning than the rest of my family (due to the cost of the single gift my whole family chipped in on), but I didn't mind. It was nice to have what I was given. Finally, I came to the small, curious, gold and silver package that perplexed me for the previous week or more. As I held it in my hands, all the feelings brought on by this package flooded me once again. In excited anticipation I ripped the paper off the box to reveal an ordinary brown box. I searched for the tape that sealed the opening. I quickly sliced through the tape with scissors and pulled the contents of the box out. To my surprise, and enjoyment, spilled several blu-ray movies.

Suddenly, I was very thankful I chose the large package over this one the previous night. If I would have insisted on opening this one first, the other present would have been ruined! I would have enjoyed the movies if I had opened them the previous night, but, since I didn't already have a blu-ray player, I would have known I was getting one. The real gift, the TV and blu-ray player, made this package of my borderline obsession so much greater!

So, at this Christmas season, I must ask the question: What is it that you want most? What in this life do you want most? Is it peace? Happiness? Love? And, how do you know that those are not part of a larger, more meaningful gift? Are those the "gift" you want, or are they simply accessories to the true gift to make it better?

"I have come so that you may have life, and life to the fullest."--Jesus