We were gathered around the green dining table in late November, easing into a annual conversation about Christmas. The kids were still small, and the air was full of anticipation. We talked through the long arc of the season: the twenty-four days of Advent, each day bringing activities of waiting; the Advent wreath glowing a little brighter each week; Sundays at church; presents chosen and hidden; Santa’s secrets; Pleasant Dreams (PJ’s wrapped in home-made-decorated paper) etc.
Christmas Day itself would not be the end, but the beginning—the start of the Twelve Days of Christmas—each day marked by a shared gift or a family practice, carrying us all the way to Epiphany. Taken together, it became our first great act of waiting and receiving: thirty-seven days shaped by hope, attention, and joy. What we later learned to call The 37 Days of Christmas.
When the family meeting ended and I rose from the table, young Trailand asked a question that stopped me:
“Daddy, when will God give His presents?”
I didn’t know then how to answer him at the time—but I knew the phrase, “God Gave His Presence” would become the title of a new song. Years later, it all came together when Trailand was old enough to help me finish the song.
Thank you, Trailand, for asking a question whose answer keeps unfolding again a fresh each year.
— Doug
God Gave His Presence At Christmas | Lyrics
Words and Music by Douglas C. Eltzroth
God gave His presence at Christmas
Not wrapped in paper or ribbons and bows
Not under the tree but under the stars
Wrapped up in old swaddling clothes
Chorus:
God gave His presence to show that He loves us
And knows that we need Him
God gave His presence at Christmas
We opened up the attic door
Bringing down the season’s joy
Boxes full of ornaments in various conditions
Untangling lights and tangled hearts
Bringing back the memories lost
We’re handing down another round of delicate traditions
God gave His presence at Christmas
Not wrapped in paper or ribbons and bows
Not under the tree but under the stars
Wrapped up in old swaddling clothes
God gave His presence to show that he loves us
And knows that we need Him
God gave His presence at Christmas
Unwrapping thoughts of old beliefs
Hanging up a homemade wreath
Musty smells stir dusty tales of forgotten old surprises
Anticipating Christmas Eve
Sleep the night in pleasant dreams
When child-like faith and hopes awake
before the sun arises
God gave His presence to show that He loves us
And knows that we need Him
God gave His presence at Christmas
37 Days of Christmas 
This is one of my favorites!
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