LOGICALLY, I can’t really justify the whole idea of giving. The problem is the return on the investment of giving a present at Christmas time is detrimental.

From a financial perspective we all know it is a rort. We outbid other desperate shoppers to pay an inflated price on a cheaply made necktie or Elmo doll – and for what? A credit statement full of negatives? And, if we are lucky, an even cheaper necktie than the one we bought.

From an emotional perspective there is some return, but still incredibly imbalanced. The frustration of parking, the exhaustion of a full day of shopping and the stress of trying to buy Christmas gifts for relatives who already have everything. Sure, we get a little bit of emotional pleasure when we see them smile as they open our gift and give us a hug, but empirically this is hardly worth it.

However, deep down we all know that there is some value in this exercise that goes beyond the hard financials and the empirical emotions. Otherwise why would we keep putting ourselves through this every year?

Put simply I think there is some other reason, something other-dimensional, something transcendent. The selfless and sacrificial generosity of gift giving certainly doesn’t fit into the social Darwinism model of “survival of the fittest”.

Instead it reflects a virtue of honour. We honour our parents as they age for their tireless contributions to our lives. We honour our friends for the support given during the tough times of the year. We honour our children, nieces, and nephews for the joy they bring and to recognise the life to come.

On the highest level, however, it is an honour that reflects the gift first given to us. The baby in the Christmas story was a gift from God to the world. In response to this we honour the giver by reflecting this same generous virtue.

The three wise men that came to the birth of Jesus capture this relationship beautifully. The first brought gold, a gift designed for a king like the world had never seen. The second brought frankincense, a resin used as incense to recognise this baby would become a priest of sacrifice. The third brought myrrh, an embalming fluid used in funerals, which meant that this was a child born… to die. Not only were these men honouring the gift, they were also honouring the sacrifice to come.

This story hints at the transcendent meaning as to why we put aside the financial and emotional pain to give generously to one another. Honouring our relationships with each other is the only way we know how to respond to the gift of those relationships. Deep down we know that we don’t deserve the good people around us. We haven’t earned this amazing gift of life. No matter the worthy acts we do, it will never be enough to make us worthy of the love we receive.

Instead, all we can do at Christmas in response is to stand with genuine awe and humility, our imperfect but grace-filled family and friends alongside, as we acknowledge with deep thankfulness all that we have been given through those people.

Therefore, as we strive towards that day, what keeps us going is the desire to simply bless in a small way the ones made in the image of the One who gave the greatest gift of all.

We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4.19)

Merry Christmas

Nick Jensen is a director of the ACT Australian Christian Lobby