Many years ago, I read an article in a Christian parenting magazine about giving children just three gifts each: a gold, frankincense, and a myrrh gift to imitate the gifts that the baby Jesus received from the wise men. With the time and money required to purchase and wrap multiple gifts for each of my six children, I embraced the idea wholeheartedly!
Our tradition is to open these three gifts on Christmas Eve after church. We exchange the same three gifts for the adults as well, while explaining the significance of the gifts for the newborn Savior. I have had fun wrapping the gifts in corresponding papers (gold, white, and normally a deep purple).
If you share our tradition or you’d like to start it, I have some gift ideas to share with you for each type of gift.
Gold
The gold given to the baby Jesus was used to provide for him while He and His parents were in Egypt.
This is usually the easiest category to buy for. This is either the most valuable or most desired gift. If your child has expressed a desire for something, this will be his gold gift. Or you can choose the most valuable (or if your child is young, the largest) gift you plan to give and it will be her gold gift.
If you have no idea where to start, I recommend looking at my list of the 60 Best Christmas Gifts for Kids. These are gifts that my children used and loved the most over 16 years of Christmases. I recommend choosing one of these gifts if you aren’t sure what to buy over the “hot” toys of the season. Most of theses popular toys I’ve purchased have ended up being recycled quickly.
And don’t forget money! My daughter wants money so she can buy her brother’s iPod. Gift cards are an option for gold gifts that teens may appreciate. You may even want to buy stock for children and let them watch how their money (hopefully) grows in value. Investopedia has great advice for giving kids financial gifts. This year, most of my children want an experience gold gift. They are excited about having ski passes for the winter.
Frankincense
Frankincense was used in the temple to impart a fragrant offering to the Lord.
Frankincense gifts have to do with our relationship with God. When the kids were younger, I found every type of Bible toy, video, and game at ChristianBook.com.
For example, I bought this Full Armor of God play set for my two older boys and it lasted through tons of playtime for all the children.
Of course, Bibles and devotionals have been another popular choice for frankincense gifts. I love that you can find Bibles by age and can read reviews of them at ChristianBook.com.
But you can only buy your kids so many Bibles! Other gift ideas are jewelry (for both boys and girls), book lights with Scriptures on them, and Christian t-shirts. Of course, you can find these at ChristianBook.com as well.
One of the more meaningful frankincense gifts I’ve given the children is a gift in their names to other needy children. You can print a picture of the gift given in their honor and wrap it and then discuss what it will mean to the children who receive the gifts. The World Vision catalog is a great option for this.
I have one other idea for frankincense gifts that I haven’t used yet and that is a gift that will enable our children to use their gifts or talents for the glory of God. For example, my son plays guitar for our church, so I have a guitar gift idea for him. Children don’t have to be using their gift at church in order for you to give them a frankincense present that relates to their talent. But it would be a great opportunity to discuss how we invest the talents God has given us.
Myrrh
Myrrh was used for purification of the body (as described in the book of Esther) and for preparation for burial.
Myrrh gifts are gifts for the body. I bought a lot of bath soap for this gift category. When the kids were younger, I included a lot of bath toys, too. Body sprays, lotions, and nail kits also make great gifts for teens. Walmart and Bath & Body Works are my favorite stores for getting deals on these gifts.
But I grew weary of taking the myrrh gift so literally. I began to expand it to include anything to care for the body. The broadest category to expand to is clothing. I had a lot of fun a couple of years buying the kids matching sports team outfits.
Teens usually like clothing, especially if there’s a receipt. A clothing gift card will work if you’re worried. Fun pajamas can be a great gift for younger kids. I loved buying pajamas that did double duty as costumes from Disney. Another clothing idea that was a hit was buying (from the store or a seamstress) matching outfits for my daughter’s My Twinn doll.
Winter is the time of year we redecorate, so when we’ve redecorated the kids’ rooms, their bedding has been their gift. We have also given the kids personalized towels and blankets as gifts.
I have a new idea for the kids’ myrrh gifts this year and that is anything having to do with exercise. A nice water bottle, exercise equipment or DVDs, or a new sports bag would make a great myrrh gift. A Zamzee (a fitness monitor that you can link to rewards) would make a fun myrrh gift as well.
Now over to you. What do you give as gold, frankincense, and myrrh gifts? Let me know in the comments.
Whether this will be your first year of homeschooling or you’ve been at this a while, you won’t want to miss this incredible resource.
So many homeschooling books are the advice of one homeschool mom, who writes in detail about one approach. But what if that homeschooling mother is nothing like you?
The Big Book of Homeschooling IdeasClick here to view more details is like getting advice from more than 50 homeschooling mothers on topics ranging from preschool to high school. This book will grow with you as your homeschooling needs change and there are bound to be authors who seem to be writing just for you. I would have loved to have had this resource at my fingertips when I started homeschooling!
The chapter I contributed
I did the next best thing and authored a chapter on a topic near and dear to my heart: starting a homeschool co-op. Few aspects of my homeschooling have had as dramatic an impact as co-ops. I would love for you to consider my experience and the step-by-step instructions I share for how to start a co-op that will be a blessing for you and your children.
Why you’ll want to add this book to your homeschooling library
Even if you have no need to start a co-op, I know you will find something of value in this book that is over 500 pages long! You can check out the table of contents before you buy. And because it’s digital, it won’t take up four inches of precious bookshelf space!
As an author, I’m an affiliate for The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas, but I would recommend it anyway. $10.99 for over 500 pages of homeschooling ideas? Yes, please!
Which chapters are you most looking forward to reading?
The book, Hope for the Flowers, by Trina Paulus has been beloved by readers of all ages for more than forty years. It makes the wonderful basis for a short study of butterflies and faith.
“Monarch butterflies are one of the best examples of design in God’s Creation, for none of the stages of caterpillar/butterfly development occur by chance, the central principle of the religion of evolutionism. The facts show that God programmed every stage of the caterpillar/butterfly life cycle. If there were no other evidence of design in God’s Creation than caterpillars and butterflies, this alone would be enough to show the fact of His design in His Creation.”
Bible Study and Discussion Questions
Why isn’t Stripe satisfied? (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11)
Who can satisfy Stripe (and us)? (Psalm 107:9)
Where are most of the caterpillars going? (Matthew 7:13)
What caused Stripe and the other caterpillars to step on each other? (James 3:14-16)
What do you think they were hoping to find at the top of the pillar? What do people hope to find “at the top” if they’re successful?
Why did Stripe have a hard time believing he could be a butterfly? (1 Corinthians 2:5) Do you ever have a hard time believing you can change?
Stripe and Yellow both had to give up what they had to find their true purpose. Do Christians have to do this? (Luke 14:33)
The process of becoming a butterfly felt like dying, but Stripe and Yellow had new lives as butterflies. How is that like having a new life in Christ? (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When Yellow became a butterfly, what did she want to do first? (Romans 10:1-15) Do you know someone who needs to hear the good news about Jesus?
Who were you created to be? (1 Peter 2:9) Do you think it’s easier being a caterpillar or a butterfly?
I credit yearly attendance at a homeschool convention with keeping me sane, especially in the early years of homeschooling. I was reminded of why I chose to homeschool in the first place and was equipped with tools for continuing.
But securing childcare and maneuvering a stroller were often a challenge. My husband usually called wanting to know when I would be home. The answer depended on how much screaming I could hear in the background.
A Homeschool Conference From the Comfort of Home
Now we have the opportunity to attend a homeschool conference wherever we are. We can listen and participate in iHomeschool Studio’s Online Webinar (Click here to view more details) live while the littles are in bed or on mobile devices while the kids are in activities.
If we can’t listen to all the talks we’re interested in live, we can listen to recordings while we’re showering, exercising, or traveling. Webinars allow busy spouses to participate, too.
I’m thrilled to be presenting on Valentine’s Day at 8:30pm Central time on How to Guide the Gift in Your Child. Preparing this talk made a huge difference in my parenting. I hope you’ll join me for a discussion of what it really means to have a gifted or talented child and how you can parent and teach them effectively.
The range and quality of sessions offered by iHomeschool Studio will impress you. I have 14 years of experience listening to homeschool speakers and I’m still excited to listen in! Tickets will go on sale here on January 28th for $25, which covers four days of inspiration, discounts and giveaways, and 24 MP3s of the sessions.
I’m also delighted to offer a free admission to one fortunate reader.
Please enter the giveaway and let your friends know about the chance to hear some outstanding homeschool speakers–no travel required.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
