Like I have said before, one of the ways we celebrate holidays in the military is more exercise, so I participated in another 5k called “The Jingle Jog” on Christmas Eve (just picture a drill sergeant yelling, MERRY CHRISTMAS! NOW RUN 3.2 MILES!).
I am so grateful for my beloved wife who worked so hard this Christmas season to make it special for our children by doing all the shopping, activity planning, organizing, and execution of our holiday traditions. She even sent me a Christmas package with decorations to keep my office a little more festive, and some presents for me to open on Christmas Day. I am amazed at how much she loves people through her service and time.
Fortunately, I was able to video chat with her and the children during their Christmas Eve festivities and for Christmas morning to see the excitement in the kids’ faces as they opened their presents. I definitely loved seeing my daughters dressed in the Middle Eastern gifts I sent them, and my son’s excitement of his new Nintendo Switch I finally caved in to buy for him this year. I am so grateful that I was still able to feel connected with them during this time even though I am halfway around the world.
I’m not sure exactly when it happened but at some point, during my maturity to adulthood, I went from looking forward to Christmas for the gifts I anticipated receiving to the gifts I anticipated giving. I think it may have been during my missionary service in Brazil, which was a time of major growth for me. I no longer focused on receiving but giving. I remember giving the only thing I had to my family that year, my testimony of Christ who I was representing at that time.
After marrying and having children, I enjoyed giving to others even more. I’ve come to find out that “gifts” is the lowest of my Love Languages anyway, so I don’t really need anything for Christmas. I am content to only give and focus on the gifts I have already received from my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.
I was able to give my time by serving the big holiday meal on Christmas Day. I got to be the one serving the most traditional part of the meal: turkey and ham!
I loved wishing people a Merry Christmas as they came through the line and then handing out dozens of handwritten Christmas Cards sent by volunteers back home in the states and some of them from our church in Salt Lake.
I think I love giving so much more now because it feels like I am better connecting with the spirit of Christmas, which is really the Spirit of Christ. Christ and our Heavenly Father love giving us gifts as well, and the most sacred and important gifts we will ever receive come from Them, so is it any wonder that we feel like giving as well when we feel Their presence through The Spirit?
Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope you feel the true Spirit of Christmas!
In His Service,
Chaplain John Critchfield
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