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Dec. 11, 2006
The Perfect Christmas
It occurs to me that this most joyous of seasons is less than joyous for many. How ironic that we proclaim joy to the world and yet feel none ourselves. Christmas has become a time of stress and worry and hurry. Most of that is the result of an image that we keep tucked deep inside us that we call “The Perfect Christmas”. If you were to ask 20 different people what constitutes “The Perfect Christmas”, you’d likely get 20 different answers. Our own image of it is one comprised of memories, movies, stories, observances, and dreams. It’s fed by advertising and glossy magazine spreads. Because we have this image tucked away that we use as our measuring stick, we think if we only had a little more money, or a few more decorations, or fancier food or had shopped a little more, or baked a few more cookies or maybe just had a bigger, nicer house, we would achieve our goal. But what really is “The Perfect Christmas”?
There was one once. The hostess wasn’t even in her own house. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t in a house at all. The place she was staying with her husband was decorated with straw strewn across the earthen floor and assorted livestock looking on. The focal point was a rustic wooden feeding trough. Food, if there was any, consisted of whatever they had been able to scrounge up or whatever was left over from their journey. The musicians arrived late and then did all their performing outside for the people out in the neighborhood. The few gifts, when they did finally arrive, while expensive and rare, paled in comparison to the Gift the world had already been given.
No lights. No tree. No brightly colored wrapping paper or stockings hung by the fireplace. By most of our standards, it really wasn’t much of a Christmas, and yet, it is this very un-ideal Christmas that we are still celebrating 2000 years later.
This Christmas, remember why you’re celebrating. Go ahead, deck those halls, if that makes you happy. Bake cookies, if you love that sort of thing. Watch a few classic Christmas flicks if you want to. Light your Advent candles. Read the Christmas story. But pitch out the things that make you sweat, make you stress, steal your joy. Revise your image. Prioritize. Think magic, not marathon. Simplicity, not strife. Family, not fantasy. Wonder, not waste. Adoration, not acquisition. Give yourself over fully to the joy of the season. Revel in His peace. Proclaim for all to hear: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King!”
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