Catalog Season by Nan VanZwol

Did you ever have one of those moments when you thought God was telling you something, but you weren’t sure, and, more to the point, weren’t sure if you wanted to hear it?  My Saturday mail brought in an interesting juxtaposition of catalogs.  First was the BE: At the Bellevue Collection, a sparkling display of the best our Eastside retailers have to offer this Holiday Season.  But right under that glowing mag of “must-have HOLIDAY GIFTS” was a catalog of actual needs.  Yup, the annual World Vision Gift Catalog has arrived. 

Now, maybe you get the World Vision Gift Catalog, and you see where this is going.  If you haven’t seen it, it’s a lot like the FPCB Alternative Gifts Market Catalog, which should be coming out soon.  The major difference is that the World Vision folk have these glossy, full color photographs of gorgeous kids from all over the world whose lives have been changed by the gift of a duck, pig, goat, or the like.  The FPCB version has projects like those, as well as some closer to home and various ministries our church supports.  The implied suggestion of such catalogs is that we, who have much, could best celebrate the season by sharing our plenty with those Jesus talked so much about.  I imagine the message of the mall catalog and the World Vision catalog arriving on the same day is not lost on many of us.

After spending a few minutes with the World Vision catalog, suddenly that fabulous blue Coach purse in the BE catalog doesn’t seem quite as much as a “must-have”.  I had both catalogs open together, and flipped through the pages.  For the price of that purse, I could provide three women with microloans, and get a fetching hobo bag made by a group of Thai women who received one of these loans a previous year.   Worth it?  Which one would bring me more pleasure in the long run?  I can see the Thai handbag  as a conversation starter and possible relational bridge-builder.  The Coach bag?  Not so much.

Looking at a sweet-faced Bangladeshi girl with her new duck, I was reminded what Jesus says in Matthew 25, how when we care for those in need we are really caring for Jesus.  What better way to celebrate Jesus’ birthday than to give presents that really are for him?

What would happen if we talked to our children about changing Christmas?  Making Christmas about giving in the way that Jesus gave?  Now those are memories worth making!  I am sure there will still be packages with Legos in them under our tree.  I imagine there will be some pretty package from my husband there, too.   And I’m sure we will still do things to celebrate the season—the boys are already talking about Snowflake Lane—but I do think this is the year that God is calling us to make some changes.  I am ready to find out if we can have a memory-filled, fun Christmas if we spend half our Christmas budget on alternative gifts, and half on toys for the kiddos.   I will be keeping my eye out for that AGM (Alternative Gifts Market) catalog.  Will you?