Family Gifts -- And Others!

Christmas is only one week from tomorrow, and I find myself in a whirlwind of activity which started about a week ago.  Ordering many of our gifts on-line saved a lot of time, but as they arrived, they literally created piles in one of our bedrooms, which meant that we had to make it off limits to family members when they visited.  Those piles have now been wrapped and moved under the tree.  One of our cats, Delilah, isn't too happy that the space under her indoor tree, which SHE has claimed as HERS, is no longer usable.  I caught her hissing and slapping at her brother, Samson, shortly after we put up the tree; she always thinks we bring this in just for her!  Anyway, she won't be able to sleep under the tree again until after Christmas.
We have a party to attend this evening, and tomorrow one of Bob's daughters is graduating from college, so we have a luncheon and graduation to attend; later, two grandkids, Cami and Niland, will be spending the evening and night with us.  After church on Sunday, they'll be joined by two other grandkids, Cooper and Wilson, and all of them will decorate cookies that I have yet to bake!  I guess Cami and Niland will help me bake cookies on Saturday evening, and then I'll do more right after church, so hopefully there'll be plenty to spread between four sets of eager hands! 
I spent two evenings this past week wrapping presents; I think it took me about 5 hours to get everything wrapped, labeled, and under the tree.  With five children and six grandchildren, that amounts to a lot of gifts, and it has been a labor of love.  Even as my husband and I discussed our budget for our gift exchange (yes, we've had a budget and haven't charged one item), we heard about the many needs of the local charities and decided to forego gift-giving between us in order to take that money and spend on gifts for those who NEED.  At this point in our lives, we do not have any NEEDS, just WANTS, and I couldn't justify getting more stuff that I didn't need when there are so many others who won't even get things they need.  So we sat down at the computer and shopped again, and all of the gifts will go to the local rescue mission, along with a box of groceries.
I don't tell you this to make us look good or to brag, but to suggest that maybe there are others who could do the same.  My husband and I have so much stuff that's simply decorative or which gives our home comfort, and to add more to that seems ridiculous in these difficult economic times.  I can't wait for all of the gifts to arrive so we can deliver them; seeing the joy on the faces of the workers at the rescue mission who will take these gifts from our hands will be worth more than any gift I could receive.  And knowing that, on Christmas day, needy kids will have gifts that they wouldn't have if not for our giving will warm my heart!  That's what Christmas is all about - giving!  God gave His most precious gift of all, His Son Jesus, and all that we do on earth should reflect His character, His glory, and His heart.  So if you can manage to drop some gifts off, even if only one or two, before Christmas at your local charity or the Salvation Army, I encourage you to do so.  You'll have a blessing on Christmas day that only God can give -- a blessing of the heart!