It’s a miracle that this Briscoe Family Christmas Tradition has carried on because it is an odd one and a little awkward to convey! I’ll begin with its origin.
My grandfather, Mary Briscoe’s dad, was a young man during the depression. There were very few funds for gifts or “extras” during Christmas, so a game was invented to play instead and he brought this tradition to us. On the morning of Christmas Eve, family members would race to be the first to say “Christmas Eve Gift” to each person in the house.
The name of the person must be said after “Christmas Eve Gift” to be fully official. If you were “gotten,” you’d vow to “get” them the next time and say things like “you cheated,” “hey, I haven’t even had my coffee yet” or “that’s not fair!” Then, the same game would be played on Christmas morning.
“Christmas Gift, Dad!”
You might imagine that when a new person was added to the family, much explanation and encouragement to play the game was sometimes necessary. At this point, the new family member was probably saying, “Who are these people?” But, by some miracle, the game is played with competitive enthusiasm by the new comers as well.
With family members flung far and wide and texting options available, it’s a given that family in Arizona, California, or the Yukon Territory are typically not the winners of the game because of the time differences. Hey, it’s not my fault that they moved to a time zone that is two hours behind!
This silly game has a deeper meaning for me now. There’s someone else who has “gotten” all of us first, Emmanuel, Lord of Lords! We love because He first loved us. So, if a more awake person happens to “Christmas Gift” me, I’m pretty OK that they loved me first.
[Here’s hoping everyone had a] Merry Christmas, and know that we have been “gifted” first with the most precious gift of all.
Christmas Gift!
