It was just a small, white envelope that stuck out among the branches of our Christmas tree. There was no name, no identification, and no inscription. It peeked out from the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so. Its story, however, speaks of how God makes all things new.

It all began with Mike, a man who hated Christmas. Oh, he did not hate the true meaning of Christmas, but he did very much dislike the commercial aspects of it — overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a present for this person or another, the idea of buying something in desperation simply because you could think of nothing else. Knowing Mike felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual gifts of a shirt, sweater, tie, or even the gift certificate. I wanted something special…