Letters to Heaven during Advent: The Best Christmas Gift

“We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.”-Winston Churchill

December 23, 2016

Dear Jesus:

When did we turn your birth into such chaos? Your birth celebration should be just like your birth was: humble, peaceful, quiet and joyful. Instead, it has become extravagant, noisy, chaotic and stressful. Somewhere along the way, we forgot the true meaning of your birth. We have turned your celebration into a competition to see who gives the most extravagant gifts, or who receives the most quantity. We are over stressed with too much entertaining, attending too many events, eating too much and trying to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Even the decorations, sometimes, are way over the top when all You would like is a humble manger scene in a central spot in our homes.

Jesus, You came to bring us life. And my life, if it was truly centered on You, it would be peaceful. This means that You are not at the center because it’s anything but peaceful. It’s chaotic. I’m always stressed out. I always thought that when the kids became adults, I would have so much more time for myself. Instead, I feel like I have less time. Why is that? What am I doing wrong? Please, teach me how to simplify my life.

Jesus, You came to bring us joy. And my joy, if it was truly centered on You, it would be everlasting. Instead, my joy is fleeting. It’s based on the circumstances that surround me. If I truly trusted You, I would feel joy no matter what. It’s difficult, though, because our humanity gets in the way. How could I feel joy when my dad passed away? Well, in a way, I felt joy because he was no longer suffering, and I know that because he had such a good soul, he is enjoying heaven now. He better be because otherwise getting to heaven must be very, very hard. I still miss him every day, and when I realize that I’m never going to see him again here on earth, I feel sadness, not joy. Please, teach me to trust You so that no matter what happens, I can feel joy in the knowledge that You are in charge and You have a plan.

Jesus, You came to teach us how to be humble. If I was truly centered on You, I would be humble. But many times, pride gets in the way. Please, Jesus, teach me to be humble like your Mama Mary was humble. She never took credit for anything. She was the gate to You. Help me also to be a gate that takes others to You.

Jesus, help me to keep my eyes focused on You. I do not need to attend every celebration. The gifts that I give do not need to be extravagant. They should be simple and humble. The most important thing is the love I put in the giving, not the gift itself. As long as they come from the heart, that’s all that matters. And honestly, the best gift that I can receive is to be surrounded by my family. They are the greatest gift that You have given me. So, as long as I have a full house, messy and noisy, I’ll be happy and I will rejoice because once again, You will be born in our midst.

I love You, Jesus!!!

December 23, 2017

Dear Jesus:

The other day, Alex asked me: “Mom, what do you want for Christmas?” My answer was, “I already have everything I need.” He said: “But mom, this year for the first time I have money to spend. I can buy gifts for all of you.” I told him: “Alex, the best gift that you can give me is to be with me and to go to mass with me on Christmas Day.”

The older I get, the less material things I want. I prefer experiences. I cherish more the time that I get to spend with my family than the things that I possess. As a matter of fact, I am trying to declutter because I have always been a “pack rat.” 

On the other hand, I have always loved to give gifts. Rafael always accused me of getting too much for the kids. He still does. He won’t be happy when he finds out that each of them are getting six or seven items. But I can’t control myself. I just love to surprise them. 

I can’t help but think that You also love to surprise us. You love to give us gifts. You don’t give us material things, but You give us plenty of blessings. And You also provide us with magnificent experiences. Right now, I’m sitting by the window and if I look outside, everything that I see is a gift from You. We are blessed with the most beautiful blue sky. Painters have tried to copy that blue but they just can’t quite get that mix that goes from very light blue, almost white, to a deeper shade in the horizon. Thank You, Jesus, for the gift of this gorgeous blue sky.  

I am also surrounded by trees. Different types of trees. Rafi, who arrived last night, was telling me that he can’t relate palm trees to Christmas. He has definitely turned into a New Yorker. But here in Miami, palm trees are our reality. We don’t have many pine trees. Unless we want to decorate our palm trees, we must get our Christmas trees from out of state. This year, Father Robert Ayala, in St. Matthew, decided to decorate the church Christmas trees with lemons. He said that in South Florida, our reality is not pine cones, our reality is citrus fruits. Some people feel that unless it’s cold it doesn’t feel like Christmas. I felt that way when I moved here from Spain, but after living 43 years in Miami, my Christmas is going to be in warm weather most of the time. And I am thankful for the gift of living in this amazing city. Yes, it may be getting a little crowded. It may have too much traffic. But unless I move to a little town in the middle of nowhere, all cosmopolitan cities are overcrowded and filled with lots and lots of cars. So I am not complaining because whenever I travel, I am very thankful to return to my warm Miami, where I can see greenery wherever I look, and I do love my palm trees. Thank You, Jesus, for the gift of all the trees that I can see from where I’m sitting. 

As I’m writing this, Rafi is in the kitchen having breakfast. Alex and dad are still sleeping. Chabeli is in St. Augustine at a wedding. Tomorrow, my house will be full with about twenty persons. Family and friends. Definitely, for me, that is the best Christmas gift. Family and friends. To have my house filled with noise, laughter, the occasional squabble, the women sitting around chatting, the men and the kids playing dominoes, setting a beautiful table, having lots and lots of food, drinking wine... just being together is by far the best gift that anyone could ever gift me. Thank You, Jesus, for the gift of family and friends. 

And last but not least, thank You for the gift of faith. My life would not be what it is if You were not at the center. In two days, we will celebrate your birthday. Thank You for making yourself as little as a child to be born in our midst. Thank You for teaching us that to be big we have to make ourselves small. Thank You for teaching us that the best king is not the one that lives in a luxurious palace and feels superior to everyone else. The best King is the one who serves His people with love and humility. Thank You, Jesus, for being our King. Thank You for giving Your life so we could be free. Thank You, Jesus. You are by far the best Christmas gift because without You, we would not have Christmas. 

I love You, Jesus!!!