Gift giving entails symbolism. It is quite unfortunate for people in Christian developing countries when such symbolism is lost to simply opportunity for material gain.
Some poor people in Christian dominated countries when Christmas is viewed as a time for receiving freebies. The meaning of Christian gift giving is no longer the primary purpose of giving Christmas gifts during Christmas.
Because of this many Christians when deciding what gift to buy for their loved ones ask themselves the wrong question. Usually they will think, “Is this Christian gift good enough?” “Is this Christmas gift worth enough?”, “Will this Christmas gift look cheap?” And because they are asking the wrong question, they are not able to give their loved ones meaningful gifts - something that they can cherish and keep meaningfully.
The three wise men who came and venerated the infant Jesus brought their respective gift to the new born king. The gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold symbolizes Jesus kingship and virtues, Frankincense, his priesthood and myrrh his passion and death.
So when choosing to buy a gift on Christmas, make it sure that there is a symbolism that goes with your gift, thus making it a true Christian gift. The question therefore that you must ask yourself in deciding what Christmas gift would be the right one for your loved ones should be: What is the meaning or symbol that I would like to go with my gift? To answer such question one or more other questions regarding the recipient should be asked for. For example, who is this person in my life? What is the thing that this person value most? Or what do I want this person to value in his life? Having answers to such questions make your decision making much easier.
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