I’ve just returned from our last Thursday group this term before Christmas, and we had such fun! We had all brought little, light gifts that would be individually wrapped, bagged up and sent round the world to our overseas members – five of them and one young mother who is in training in the UK to be a missionary with her husband. We spent the morning deep in tissue paper and sellotape and now I have a collection of five bags full of tiny parcels on the side in the kitchen waiting to be sent off to distant parts of the world, where some very brave and committed women have given up all home comforts to go and live and work and share the good news of the gospel.

It was great to do the wrapping up and imagine each tiny parcel being opened. Most of it is toiletries and frivolous bits and pieces, none of it is expensive, but it reminded me of the favourite Christmas tradition for my family: opening the stockings on Christmas morning! Even though the presents in the stocking are only worth a few pence each: bars of chocolate, a new toothbrush, an orange or a pencil, it’s the thrill of unwrapping them to discover what’s inside and then shouting about it to the rest of the family all gathered in our bedroom! It’s a bit of a labour putting it all together but always so worth it. Our family now has a rule that ‘Father Christmas will bring a stocking until the "child" is married’ (because I could see myself tied in to it for life!) They love it so much it’s a standing joke that they won’t get married so that the Christmas stocking keeps coming. And I love it!

As I was thinking about this, I thought how our heavenly Father must delight in giving us so many little gifts each day, not just for Christmas. I wondered whether I was still child-like enough to be excited by the ‘little’ things He gives – the smile from a neighbour, the cheery greeting of the binman, the comfort of the cup of tea, the book that inspired me, the small child’s hand on mine as I pray. All these gifts and more, I had opened this morning before lunch – God is good – really! Jesus said we had to become like little children to enter the Kingdom of God, and maybe this is one of the ways we can experience the fun of that.