"I got so and so for James,--that will do for him, don't you think
so?"

And, when her companion answers in the affirmative, she gives a sigh
of relief, as if to say, now he is off my mind!

Poor woman, she does not know what it means to give herself with her
gift. She is missing one of the essentials of the true joy of
Christmas Day. Indeed, if all her gifts are given in that spirit,
she is directly contradicting the true spirit of the day. How many
of us are unconsciously doing the same thing because of our--habit
of regarding Christmas gifts as a matter of conventional obligation.

If we get the spirit of giving because of Him whose birthday it is,
we shall love to give, and our hearts will go out with our gifts,--
and every gift, whether great or small, will be a thoughtful
message of love from one to another. There are now many people, of
course, who have this true spirit of Christmas giving, and they are
the people who most earnestly wish that they had more. Then there
are many more who do not know the spirit of a truly thoughtful gift,
but would be glad to know it, if it could once be brought to their
attention.

We cannot give in a truly loving spirit if we give in order that we
may receive.

We cannot give truly in the spirit of Christmas if we rush and
hurry, and feel strained and anxious about our gifts.

We cannot give truly if we give more than we can afford.