Well, it’s that time of year again – December is upon us, bringing with it all the joys of Christmas! But what is the true meaning of Christmas? It can be all too easy to get wrapped up in giving gifts (quite literally), but Christmas is not really about the gifts. Nor is it about the lights on the tree, the big turkey dinners, or the falling snow. The true meaning of Christmas is love, plain and simple.
Nancy W. Gavin wrote a story that will make your heart burst with this Christmas love. It was published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Women’s Day Magazine.
Nancy’s Family Tradition
Every year for as long as Nancy can remember, there has been an unlabelled white envelope tucked between the branches of her family’s Christmas tree.
“It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas–oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it–overspending… the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma—the gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else.” (1)
Armed with this knowledge, Nancy decided that she didn’t want to get Mike the usual gifts. She wanted to do something different; something more special. Luckily, while at their son Kevin’s wrestling tournament she found a stroke of inspiration.
The tournament was just before Christmas, and Kevin’s team was matched against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. Both Nancy and her husband were shocked to notice that the opposing team had ragged shoes and no protective headgear. It was clear they didn’t have much funding. Kevin’s team, with their spiffy shoes and proper helmets, totally dominated the competition. This was surprisingly tough on Mike. He had a strong love for kids, and commented to Nancy that he wished just one of them could have won. He feared that such a landslide could cause the kids to lose their passion towards wrestling.
“That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition–one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.” (1)
These small white envelopes quickly became the main feature of Christmas. Everyone looked forward to seeing what would be inside.
Unfortunately, many years after the tradition started, Mike fell victim to cancer. And although Mike was no longer around, the tradition of the white envelope has lived on. Nancy and her three children add their own white envelopes to the tree every year in honor of their loving father.
“Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.” (1)
