I can still see it. Red, shiny, waiting. Down the steps on a snowy Christmas morning just outside of Chicago in ’62… no not 1862 wisenheimer. But alas, it was 60+ years ago and might as well been the Civil War era.
Christmas Comes in Red
No matter what the century or circumstance, the gifts we receive can weave deeply into decades of memory. Not all of them. In fact, not many of them. How many years and years of Christmas presents do you still possess… or even remember? The red 24-inch Schwinn bicycle I remember well… even had a button horn (batteries not included). Was it that cool, that much of a surprise, or something I rode for childhood years to come?
One yes and two nays on the Q&A. But here’s the question that counts. When is it better to receive than give? Before you give and get this Christmas, let’s ponder what matters, what will last, and how to have impact like a slick red bike.
Gas & Go-Cart to Joy
To that end, another red remembrance 30 years after the red bike comes to mind. This one, a red go-cart… the real deal with gasoline engine and fly-off-the-pavement potential. Today they’d mandate a rollover cage, speed governor, and helmet. None of that was in vogue in the early ‘90s. This was the gift I always wanted… but never got. Years earlier, Dad almost bought one for me, but it must have been too pricey.
This time, neither cost nor common sense would prevail. Not even a right-thinking wife could cool my jets. I bought the speeding go-cart for our ten and eight-year-old daughters. That’s old enough, right? The elder declined inaugural driver duties, and the younger slid over behind the wheel. I pulled the cord on that Briggs & Stratton engine, and off they rumbled around the corner.
Real Christmas Giving
They did come back on the cart… but the joy of having delighted my girls never left. The satisfaction of giving and pleasing those I love was matchless. Not even receiving the boyhood bike could equal giving lavishly. I learned something about Christmas that day… about the Christ child*… and sacrifice of the cross** to come. It’s the whole point of the holiday joy that is oft obscured by gifts that expire. Christ still gives the ultimate gift… eternal life. We need only believe and receive***.
The red bike was a total surprise but replaced a couple of years later by a still cooler Stingray with high monkey bars and banana seat (dating myself). A crazy-driving cousin raced the red go-cart into the neighbors’ front yard bushes and Christmas lights. It was fast and furious fun for a while, but our speeding cart didn’t make it on the truck when we later moved away down the road. The girls were growing up.
Bikes, carts, and whatever touches us are the gifts we remember. Maybe it’s the feeling we still sense. Or better, the knowledge we are loved enough to be given more than we expect or deserve.
Read & Receive Joy
That is Christmas, isn’t it? Giving and receiving. This year, do both. Give over and above. Receive true joy and peace****.
Merry Christmas, Friend…
*Matthew 1:18-25 **John 3:16-17 ***John 1:11-13 ****Romans 5:1
