_-----Oh, how exciting this time of year is in the eyes of a child! I well remember as a young girl the excited anticipation during the month of December as I waited to see what special gifts and surprises that I would be receiving on Christmas day. My parents often found it amusing to watch me shake and rattle the beautifully wrapped gifts that bore my name as I tried to guess what might be inside. At that point in my life my concentration was definitely on the receiving and not on the giving of gifts. It was all about me, me, me! It was often quoted to me that it was better to give than to receive, but somehow the interpretation of that statement evaded me. I could never comprehend the meaning of that kind of thinking. Surely that wasn’t true. Anyone knows that it is much more fun to receive a gift than to give one!

Through the years with the gaining of maturity (hopefully) I slowly began to come to a realization of the truth of that statement. It is truly more blessed to give than to receive. Having a granddaughter, I am constantly reminded of that fact and almost daily feel the blessing of the “giving”. How sweet it is to see the joy on her face and her excitement at receiving Nana’s gifts.

I have to believe that our heavenly Father receives great pleasure when bestowing his blessings on us, his children. We daily are on the receiving end and enjoying His blessings, yet He is also enjoying our happiness and joy. When we come to understand the delight He has in offering His many gifts, we then can completely grasp the truth of the blessing of giving.