What does the Bible say about giving gifts at Christmas?

Gift-giving at Christmas dates back to the gift-giving of the Three Wise Men, who were the wise men who gave gifts to Jesus when he was born. They were led by the holy spirit to follow the eastern star to Bethlehem to become witnesses to the birth of Jesus. And when they saw him, they worshiped him and gave him gifts. Because Matthew 2:10-11 says, “When they came home, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened his treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh..” Even though we have this scripture to support our Christmas gift giving, the tradition of gift giving has gotten out of control. We can probably all agree that buying gifts for our loved ones and friends has caused us a lot of financial problems.

We tend to overextend ourselves because we want to make a big impression and look good in their eyes. We get up at 3:00 am to be the first in line at retail stores on “Black Friday” to battle it out with others for the best deals. It’s okay to want to save money on our gifts, but God never intended these things to happen. When the wise men gave Jesus gifts, it was because he was our Lord and Savior coming into the world to save us. Not because they wanted to impress others. So what does the Bible say about giving gifts?

We should give gifts to glorify God. Matthew 6:1-4 says, “See that you do not do your ‘righteous deeds’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, to be honored of men. Truly I tell you, they have already received their reward. But when you give to the needy, make them your left hand does not know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. This scripture must apply to our giving of gifts this Christmas, for we must give from the heart and not for show. We must make sure that we teach our children the joy of giving and not always receiving. And we must not give just to receive something in return, because God will reward us with more blessings than we can count, in the earth and in the sky.

We should also give gifts in scarce or bad times. In 2 Corinthians 8:7-9, Paul spoke to the churches that were giving him financial gifts so that he could continue to minister about Jesus. “But just as you excel in everything, in faith, in word, in knowledge, in complete fervor and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not ordering you, but I want to try the sincerity of your love compared to the fervor of others, because you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who being rich, for love of you became poor, so that with his poverty you might be enriched.” Although some of us may be facing hard financial economic problems, we can still give to others, giving of our time, volunteering, lending a hand, praying for someone in time of need or simply being a friend. We can do these things not only at Christmas, but throughout the year.

And finally, the true Christmas gift is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our society has moved away from celebrating the real reason for Christmas. Some of us believe that Santa Claus, Christmas trees, gifts, food and alcohol are the real reasons for this day. We give the world all the glory and praise and keep Jesus Christ out of the equation. God gave us his only begotten son, Jesus, the gift of life! Because John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” This is the greatest gift, which is the gift of salvation, which only God can give. If we are sure to keep Christ in Christmas at all times, then when we give to others, it will become a natural expression of that gratitude throughout the year. Because James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of heavenly lights…” Merry Christmas!