The news has been reporting it’s important to buy early this year because supply chains have had issues bringing merchandise to restock. Even my Mom informed me she wasn’t buying anything for Christmas since anything she did try to order is not available. There are many different considerations when determining what to purchase as a gift. Given the circumstances, I’m thinking this year may be filled with gifts of practicality. 

I recall as a child that any gift of undergarments and socks didn’t really seem like a gift. Afterall, these were things that I received throughout the year because I needed them. As adults, we often joke when trying to guess what is inside a package — is it socks or an umbrella — even when  the package looks like it would contain neither. Yet wearable items like shirts, sweaters, jackets and hats are every bit as serviceable and can be received with much appreciation; minus any negativity. While I would never think to give undergarments to friends, I have given socks before, not just plain white ones, but ones with unique patterns that made me think of the person I was giving it to. Socks can be a fabulous way to show one’s personality or even bring a bit of cheer with vibrant colors and motifs. I even gifted my niece this year with socks. These, however, were not any that I bought in a store; I handknit them myself.

The gift of socks is a gift of practicality. Who doesn’t wear socks on at least some occasion? Giving the gift of socks says, “I want you to use these.” While there are different sizes in socks, they will mold to a person’s feet, and there is much more forgiveness when it comes to figuring out the size (and there is much comfort in a new pair of socks). But why all this talk about socks? Because sometimes God gives us the gift of socks. God gives us every breath we take, every beat of our heart, and every thought we are able to think. You may respond, “Well that is just what makes us alive, what kind of a gift is that?” That would be God’s version of a gift of socks. He didn’t need to create us, yet He didn’t stop with our creation; He continues to give us everything we need to be alive. We also need to be born into a family, that too, can be another gift of socks. There are many more practical spiritual gifts God gives us that cannot be lost, eaten by the washer/dryer, or worn out from overuse. We use them so much, we don’t even realize they are a gift. Yet if God was to limit us to one pair or take it away entirely, we would very soon realize how precious this gift is to us. 

So as we commence this Advent season, preparing for Christmas, let us think about the gifts we have already received from God. Let us take a deeper look into our everyday lives and appreciate all that He has provided to sustain us. Thank Him too, for all the opportunities He opens to us that allow us to participate in the gifts He gives, both to ourselves as well as to one another. And if you receive the gift of socks this Christmas, smile a heart-filled thank you to the giver and thank God for both the gift and the one who gave them to you.