A young girl began to unwrap a gift she found under the Christmas tree labeled with her name. She took off the decorative bow and excitedly ripped off each piece of wrapping paper until all that remained was a cardboard box and a bit of leftover clear tape.

“It’s…A…BOX!” she exclaimed cheerfully.

Grateful to have people in her life who took the time to pick out this special box with her in mind and then proceeded to wrap it in bright seasonal paper brought joy to her heart. The girl was sincerely ecstatic about her own personal box and would not have even bothered to cut open the box to receive the real gift if it hadn’t been for her parents who pleaded with their child to see what was inside.

We have lost the beauty hidden within the spirit of Christmas to an arrogant commercialized culture. “Me. Me. Me,” is the outcry of our selfish society. It’s no longer a question of what we should give one another, but what will everyone give to us. We put more thought into what we want than we put into what we are going to give to our loved ones. We rush around at the last minute trying to buy gifts we think our family and friends might like and stick in a gift receipt just in case we were completely wrong about their “Christmas wish lists,” while we make a scene when we don’t receive what we’d reminded family members to get us a month earlier over our “Thanks”giving dinners.

We have lost the joy of the Christmas season to a meaningless, egotistic, cliché, pagan holiday. We deck the halls and shop a lot, but we don’t celebrate with any true purpose. We are in dire need of hope and love. The Christmas season used to, and still has the potential to, give us both of these priceless gifts and so much more.

This Christmas we need to put ourselves aside and care for others–those close to us and strangers alike. Think deeply about what would bring a smile to your family members’ and friends’ faces when they unwrap their own personal boxes packed with all things merry and bright. Become a layaway angel for a stranger in debt. Buy or make gifts for a family in need or children spending their Christmases in the hospital. Give the gift of time and spread cheer while volunteering at a soup kitchen or even by donating warm clothes and gifts to Christmas drives. But most of all, spend this Christmas season with those who matter most to you.

Pick out your own special box and wrap it up with a colorful bow on top. Spend time laughing and reminiscing with your loved ones and make new memories while you’re at it. Gather around the Christmas tree overflowing with gifts of love and hope and rediscover the beauty within the spirit of Christmas. Find the childlike wonder left in you and be grateful to receive even just a plain decorated cardboard box.

“From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” -John 1:16