A Christmas We’ll Always Remember

Last year, our family discovered the joy of giving in a completely new way. We’ve always exchanged gifts with one another, but this time was different. Instead of buying presents for each other, we decided to adopt a family through a local mission and provide everything on their Christmas list.

Shopping together was fun, but when we turned in the gifts, we weren’t allowed to wrap them or meet the family. It felt incomplete. So when I heard a call in church for volunteers to deliver Angel Tree gifts, I felt an immediate pull to help. At the time, I didn’t realize who these gifts were for. I assumed they were for families in our area.

When I learned they were for the children of incarcerated parents, I hesitated. In our home, there were honest feelings of judgment, fear, and questions about whether these gifts were “deserved.” And when we heard which neighborhoods we’d be delivering to, several people warned us not to go. Even my husband considered going with someone else instead of taking our kids. It felt like every obstacle was trying to interrupt what God was doing.

But the Lord does not bring fear, judgment, or resentment. He brings peace. So we decided to go together as a family.

That was the best decision we could have made.

We had two homes to visit, and the plan for safety was simple: drop the gifts at the door. But the very first stop changed everything. A young single mother and her three-year-old son greeted us with warmth and gratitude. She invited us inside with tears streaming down her face. We prayed with her and reminded her how deeply Jesus loves her. In that moment, the presence of the Lord was unmistakable.

He replaced fear with love, judgment with joy, and hesitation with peace.

To this day, each of our three children will tell you that delivering those Angel Tree gifts is their favorite Christmas memory. And this year, they made sure we were signed up to deliver again.

~ DeAnna Boyce ~