Luke 2:13-17
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child…
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I love to decorate… and at Christmas, some would say I go nuts! I know there are many who do more than I, but over the years, my collection of Christmas decorations has grown quite a bit. No longer is one tree enough… we have “the big tree,” a smaller one on the piano, a lighted tree on outside on our bluff for others to enjoy… and now, a tree for Timothy that has ornaments with which he is allowed to play. I have Santas, snowmen, lots of greenery and lights… and more than 50 nativity sets that I display together as a collection. Over the years, my students, friends and family members have given me Christmas ornaments for the tree, and I proudly hang every one.
In 36 years of marriage, I think there has been one Christmas that we did not have a tree… and that was because I had undergone surgery, and we were spending the holidays with our parents. I keep many of our “winter” decorations out through much of February so the house doesn’t seem so bare in the cold, bleak months. A couple of years ago, I was packing away the decorations, and I became sad and frustrated. WHY did I do this? Putting it all away was no fun. It took several days. And let’s be honest… putting it out to start with took me two to three days, too. So WHY do it?
I said to myself, “Next year, I won’t do so much. I’ll go through my things and get rid of some of them and pare down.” But when the next year came, Timothy was here, and experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a child is a whole new ball of wax. Even though he was too small to understand, he enjoyed the lights, the sparkle, and the color. My mom came to help me get the tree decorated.
This year, Timothy is old enough to begin to enjoy the ornaments and lights… the nativities, and more. So once again, I got out our decorations and transformed our house into a holiday wonderland. And again, Mom came to help with the big tree. She no longer puts up a tree, since all of our family festivities happen at our house. So we have started a new tradition of trimming the big tree together.
I know many people who no longer decorate, for a variety of reasons… and that’s okay. And yes, we have become too commercialized about Christmas. But look at these verses in Luke again… the angels were celebrating. The shepherds left the manger to celebrate the birth of Christ with others and share this good news. Let’s be honest… at that point, the ramifications of Christ’s birth were not totally clear. Most people did not realize the significance of this event until after Jesus had died on the cross and ascended into heaven.
The point is… as much as Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our risen Savior, it also serves as a reminder of what Jesus taught us – unconditional love for our fellow man, grace, mercy, generosity in giving to others, service, joy, faith, and so much more. And don’t we often seem to be better at putting these things into action during the holidays? We truly celebrate Jesus by making our homes festive… and inviting others to visit. We put up a tree and trim it with lights and sparkling ornaments and create a party atmosphere. We are kinder and gentler with others… more generous. We seem to find more time for parties, celebrations and writing cards… baking treats to share with others… shopping and wrapping gifts.
For a few days/weeks, we at least give ourselves the opportunity to more closely emulate some of the traits Jesus taught us. Oh, sure, some will become stressed and grumpy… some will become “Scrooges” and refuse to participate… but many will transform into totally different people. And maybe… just maybe… some will continue that spirit after the tree is taken to the curb and the decorations are packed away for another year. Maybe the joy and celebration of all that Jesus’ birth represents will be shared for months to come… or even all year long! The first step is to start the party… to deck the halls and celebrate. You don’t have to put up a tree or hang a wreath on the door… all you have to do is “deck your hall” with a smile and a warm heart for those around you!
How will you celebrate this year? Are you ready to “party hearty” in Jesus’ name? Will others notice a difference… and better yet, will you keep His joy going all year long?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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