A Merry and Bright Adventure for ChristmasChikamu

God’s Gifts to Us

The custom of wrapping gifts dates back to Victorian England in the 1800s. With advancements in the printing industry, paper was created to match the new Christmas cards being printed. Soon, decorated boxes and bags emerged as well.

But long before we wrapped presents and exchanged them on Christmas, the very best gift was wrapped in strips of cloth. Do you know what that gift was? Jesus! He was born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling cloths in the town of Bethlehem, which fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies.

Wrapped gifts are like a promise of what’s to come. They show that someone took extra care to prepare something special for us to unwrap. The Bible is filled with many wonderful promises of God for us to unwrap and discover too.

Family Discussion Questions

• Why do you think people like to wrap gifts before giving them?
• Can you think of a promise God gave us in Scripture that you’ve discovered or “unwrapped” recently?
• What types of gifts does the Bible say God gives to us?
• What is one gift you have that you can share with others?

Family Adventure: Play the Plastic Wrap Gift Game

Gather small items, candies, coins, etc. for prizes. Wrap the first item in several layers of plastic wrap to make a ball shape. Add a second small prize on top and keep wrapping layers and adding more prizes until you have a large ball filled with numerous items. Take a set of dice and a pair of oven mitts and have everyone sit in a circle.

One person rolls the dice until they get doubles (two of the same number). As soon as they get doubles, they pass the dice to the person on their left, put on the oven mitts, and begin trying to unwrap the ball with the oven mitts on. They get to keep any prizes that fall out while it’s their turn. Once the next person rolls doubles, the first person’s turn ends, and they pass the ball and mitts to the second person. The dice go to the third person and play continues until all the prizes have been unwrapped.

Prayer

God, thank You for giving us the greatest gift of all. Help us to unwrap all of the promises found in Your Word and discover the gifts You’ve hidden within each of us. Amen.