‘What life is all about’

As Christmas nears, many grandparents are faced with what can be a daunting task — choosing a gift for a grandchild that will be enjoyed and treasured.

With store shelves loaded with toys and television ads touting the latest “can’t-live-without-it” product, deciding on a gift can be a challenge. But Christian retailers in Alabama say there are many gift choices for children and teens that are both enjoyable and practical for long-term spiritual development.

“Any gift that helps the receiver think more about their faith and relationship with God is very meaningful,” said Shirley Baughn, a sales floor leader at Family Christian Stores in Oxford. Baughn said anyone buying a gift for a young person will save time by first thinking about the age and interests of the child. Shoppers also should think about the child’s spiritual level and understanding of faith and God.

“It’s important to know the perspective of the child who will get the gift,” she said. “We don’t want to talk someone into something and then the recipient not enjoy it.”

Karyn Yerbey, assistant manager at LifeWay Christian Store in Florence, said there are many products in stores this year that can help grandparents and grandchildren share the meaning of Christmas.

One popular item is a nativity set that is made specifically for children and can be used day-by-day during advent or all at once to tell the Christmas story. One set includes boxes that each hold a different figure of the nativity, with the final box holding a mirror to explain that the most important gift Jesus wants for Christmas is the person in the mirror. Yerbey said the interactive nature makes the nativity set well-suited to share with children.

“So often at Christmas, children are told not to touch things,” she said.

“But when you are explaining the birth of Jesus to a child with a nativity scene, it’s not the same when they just look it. A nativity set they can touch and hold in their hands leaves more of an impression.

“The understanding of Jesus and the meaning of Christmas becomes more real as children grow older, but they never forget that memory of holding the baby Jesus figurine in their hands as they hear His story.”

For older children, gifts such as necklaces and bracelets with religious charms are popular and can be worn as both symbols of faith and use in witnessing.

“One bracelet tells the story of Jesus using different colored beads and charms, including a star, a fish and a wooden bead that represents Jesus’ work as a carpenter,” Yerbey said. “That can be a great reminder to the wearer and to others about His life story.”

A great gift for people of all ages is a Bible, she said. For children, there are all kinds of Bibles and Bible story books available, including soft books for babies and board books for toddlers.

For older children and teens, there are Bibles with devotionals geared toward specific interests. There are even Bibles in magazine format, geared toward either teen boys or girls, which include trendy covers, top-10 lists, relationship articles and devotional plans.

“The new magazine-format Bibles are very popular with teenagers because they use a contemporary language and they look hip and cool,” Baughn said.

“Even the Bibles for younger children have started using bold colors on the covers, so they look more fun to carry around.”

Yerbey said one way to make any book an even better gift is to have it imprinted with the recipient’s name. “Almost any book with a nonfabric cover can be imprinted,”  she said. “Personalizing a book makes the gift more special because the receiver knows it was chosen with him or her in mind.

”For many shoppers, finding a gift that will stand out as special is a challenge. But Yerbey said special gifts don’t have to be complicated or expensive. “Toys are going to go to the wayside, but memories built between grandparents and grandchildren are going to last a lifetime,” she said. “Pulling a grandchild into your lap, reading a book together, talking — all these things create wonderful memories of time spent together, and those bonds you make are what life is all about.”