What do kids really need for Christmas? A busy man came home late to find his seven-year-old son waiting up for him. The first thing his son said was, “Dad, how much money do you make an hour?” “Son, I make $50 an hour.” “Well, Dad, can I borrow $25?” “Yes, Son, but why?” Quickly the boy ran to his room, returned with some crumpled bills and added it to the money from his dad and said, “Dad, I want to buy an hour of your time.” At a school function a dad overheard the kids talking, One said, “My dad’s watching sports, another said, “My dad’s on a business trip, another said, My dad is fishing.” He heard his son proudly say, “My dad is here!” A professor asked, “Who has influenced you the most in life?” Seventy percent replied, “My dad.” The dad is the head (Eph.5:23) of the home and the mother is the heart (Prov. 31:28) of the home. There is a difference between a house and a home.
This is a time of absent dads. Single parents and grandparents are now raising the children. It is a generation seeking valuables but not values. Everyone shops for the newest, fastest, and most costly technology gifts. But when all the gifts are opened and they face the new year it seems something is still missing. Things just do not fill that emptiness within (Psa. 107:9). The greatest things in life are not things, but people. Don’t love things but love people. Everyone needs to love and be loved – Everyone!
What do kids really need for Christmas? They need YOU as parents more than any gift. There is no substitute for you, you, and even you. The greatest gift you can give your children this year is a happy Christian home. “If a child lives with: Criticism he learns to condemn. Hostility he learns to fight. Ridicule learns to be shy. Shame he learns to feel guilty. Tolerance, he learns to be patient. Encouragement he learns confidence. Praises he learns to appreciate. Fairness he learns justice. Security he learns faith. Approval he learns to like himself. Acceptance he learns to live in this world. – Dorothy Law Nolte. Also if a child lives with: Guidance he respects authority. Love he learns to love others. Godliness he learns to love God.
Good Godly parents are one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable gifts known. This Christmas, remember your children need YOU more than things. Give them a Christian home where love is shut in and strife is shut out. Build good unforgettable memories together. They need us, us need them, and we all need the Lord. Remember, “Loving moments make lasting memories.” In years to come a Christmas will be remembered for treasured moments and memories, not merchandise. Naturally, the greatest Christmas gift is Christ (John 3:16). Christ is the meaning of Christmas. Without Christ, there would be no Christmas or Christianity. This Christmas, especially with this pandemic, remember your presence means much, much, more than your presents!
