The Christ of Christmas: A Gift to Keep

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

What will you keep after Christmas?

After a long wait, the big day will fly by quickly as the calendar grinds forward toward the new year. All the shopping, decorating, cooking, carol-singing, traveling, laughing, and gift-giving will be over—leaving behind leftovers, gift exchanges, and decoration storage in its wake.

What then? For a few days, I usually keep some of the presents I received sitting out under the tree, to let a touch of their warmth remain before January’s chill arrives. I’ll clean out all the sweets from the pantry (well, most of them), vacuum up the rainfall of glitter on our floors, and set my sights on new year’s projects. 

In the process, I tend to forget too quickly the vast ramifications of the most important gift I’ve received—God’s salvation through the gift of His Son. What I fail to keep is thankfulness in my heart.

Jesus has held my heart in His unfailing grip since I accepted Him as Lord and Savior. I have nothing to give back but my love and gratitude…and I fear I have offered too little of both.

Are you guilty of the same failure? Do you neglect to praise Him after Christmas for His gift of eternal life?

Our Lord speaks clearly to us in His word. If you’ve never accepted His invitation to become His beloved child, I pray He will shout it to you this week with His irresistible grace. May your soul be refreshed, renewed, restored, repurposed in the light He shines around you from heaven. 

Together, let’s remember to thank Him for His amazing gift. And then, let’s ask Him for more.

By the Holy Spirit, let’s ask for His matchless power and guidance to send us to the ends of the earth, to share the message of His good news. May He give us the desire to obey and the courage to venture into the unknown, knowing He will always be with us.

Let’s plead with God to fill us with His intense, generous love for His people. May it overflow from us into the lives of others so that they, too, will recognize and accept Him as their Lord and King.

Let’s beg for Jesus to hold us close forever in the security of His loving arms. As we do, let us bow before Him in true thankfulness. Let us rise in faith to worship Him in glad adoration, lifting our songs to Him together.

May we keep His joy in our hearts along with our gratitude. May we shout our Lord’s good news and proclaim His praises everywhere we go and into the new year. He is worthy of all these.

Christ, our Savior, is born! Amen! And Hallelujah for His gift! 

Lord Jesus, I come to You this Christmas with humility for Your magnificence, reverence for Your power, and gratitude for Your love. Fill me with thanksgiving for what You have given me and the beautiful blessings You continue to bestow upon me. Thank You for the friends and family You have brought into my life. Thank You, most of all, for giving me this Christmas as a time to celebrate Your love with others. In Your name, Amen.

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2025 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #Christmas #thankfulness #thanksgiving #salvation #gratitude #Christmasgifts