I think almost all of us who are parents or grandparents know the painful truth of giving gifts to children — sometimes they like playing with the box the toy came in more than playing with the toy.

No matter how long we looked for the perfect gift, how carefully we planned the sequence in which the packages would be opened to lead up to the big moment, no matter how popular the toy is supposed to be, the child looks at it for a moment and then picks up the box and goes to town.

The child might be having a great time, but it just doesn’t feel right to us when we wanted the focus to be on the gift we provided.

Why do we feel this way? Because we know the sacrifice and/or expense it took to provide that gift.

Christmas is the celebration of the greatest gift in all of human history — God himself coming to earth.

But too many times we lose sight of that gift with all of the other things taking place around us. Trees and lights and traditions and gatherings are all wonderful, unless they take our focus off what is truly important.

Peter warned of the danger of forgetting what matters most: “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9).

Make sure your Christmas this year is filled with more than just the boxes — keep your eyes on the great gift of God’s Son, our savior.

Imagine how it must make God feel when we ignore the true reason. After all, he knows the sacrifice it took to provide hope during this Christmas season.