It's that holiday time of year again! No, I don't mean anything that has to do with turkey and dressing, I mean a particular holiday you can no longer ignore that has been showing up since Halloween. Yes, bells are ringing in stores and probably even some street comers; I see Santa decorations here, there and everywhere. The topic comes up at work, time off is planned as well as questions from those looking for ideas for their gift buying. I've heard it said the season arrives earlier every year, but this year the bulk of the commercials and ads haven't really hit us until now.

I suppose some of you will groan knowing that our family is just about totally done with any shopping this year. Oh, there will be a gag gift or two that we might snag up on a lark, and some trinkets for the stockings, but overall the big ticket items have been budgeted, decided on, and bought. You might wonder how we did it, and I will tell you. We bought a little here and there throughout the year (yes, we're those kind of people!) I think what makes it easiest for us is that we buy the same present for our out of state family members every year. No, not some sausage medley or pre-sorted no-brainer chocolate selection, but something we have to put a lot of thought into. How, you ask, can I buy the same thing for my family out of state yet have to think about it so much? That takes a little explaining.

Deniese and I dropped money on a house here early in 1997, and actually showed up as residents by June. We're the only members of either of our families to ever live for more than a few months in New England, and we've found it to be a strange and wonderful place. So very much different that we found many things downright foreign, like living in a different country than the rest of the good old USA. Pretend I was to move to Germany and you were all related to me. What kind of presents might I send you? What do you think of, when you think of Germany - maybe a nice selection of black forest cheeses, or a coo-coo clock, or a chunk of the Berlin wall? Maybe a beer stein, or sour kraut? Things I hope you would think of as special; certainly all good stuff!

And on that vein, we started and continue for these past 7 holiday seasons to send samplers from the strange and foreign land called New England. Not prepackaged stuff, at least not the way you'd think of it. We send stuff that people think of when they think of our area. Boston baked beans, and Vermont maple syrup. NECCO candy (you DO know what NECCO stands for, yes?) and cranberries ITom Maine. Mary Jane's and a chunk of real wood from Old Ironsides. Lobsters (well, gummi ones!) and lighthouses. Brown bread in a can, and Fluff. Yes, even cough syrup (oops I mean Moxie) and Birch Beer. Shaker and Peterborough baskets. Maine mud was a big hit, with bog frogs from Cape Cod. One year we sent Santa Claws (lobster claws, dress up, well, you know!) We haven't sent any toy submarines (think Groton, CT) or nutmegs yet, but we will eventually. We send different items every year, (but see, the same present!), and we've done very well so far. ALL has to be genuine made-in-New-England stuff, though, or it doesn't count - all good stuff!

God is in heaven. That's pretty foreign to me in a lot of ways, as I have never yet been there. He's sent some things to us from there. Not just touristy stuff, either, but very special items. He sent prophets, and preachers. He sent morality, wisdom, and guidance. He sent his son. While many may not think much of what he has sent, it is all special and it is all good stuff! We may think there is little variety, that it is all quaint or old-fashioned like that salt-water taffy I sent last year. Too sweet, a little sticky, and more bother than it's worth. But that's wrong thinking. The gospel, along with all the other gifts that God has sent us, is vibrant and alive. It is what makes our lives here worth living. The gifts I send make people smile and maybe think of me (and probably shake their heads in wonder!), but the gifts God sends brings joy, purpose, and gratitude to our lives. His gifts are useful right out of the box, not some trinket to bring out and amuse your friends with now and then! All his presents come genuine, no tricks and no fakery.

Notice that I only send boxes to my out of state family. That means my sisters, sisters-in-laws, parents, parents-in-law, and brothers-in-law. No one else gets one of these special boxes, and that's by my choice. God does me better - he offers his presents to people who don't even deserve them! He offers his presents to people who don't even want them! He offers his presents to people who actually hate him! And the "season" for his giving is all year 'round! If only man's season for receiving was all year round, too!!!

Randy