I LOVE everything Christmas! The twinkling lights, the perfect trees, the fancy packages, cards from friends, Bing Crosby, peppermint mochas, and all the hustle and bustle of the season. Yep, I’m one of those crazy Christmas lovers that turns on the Christmas music in September and bribes my sweet husband with the promise of a “guy movie” if he’ll watch a Christmas movie with me…in July.
So imagine my disappointment when December comes around and the only hint that it IS Christmastime in our little corner of the world is our own Charlie Brown Christmas tree and a small display of holiday items for sale at the village store. There are no commercials telling us the must-haves of the season, no billboards counting down the shopping days, no nativity scenes in people’s yards or lights on their houses, no Christmas parties or gift exchanges, no cheerful “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Holidays!” greetings from our neighbors. No Christmas spirit. For a Christmas-lovin’ gal like me it just doesn’t FEEL like Christmas!
As I sit on my couch, drowning my disappointment in a hot peppermint mocha (because hot peppermint mochas make EVERYTHING better), a little jingle pops in my head, “Jesus is the reason for the season!” And then it hits me like a snowball in the face: if Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas without all the commercial trimmings and trappings then perhaps my heart has wandered away from truly believing that Jesus IS the reason for the season. Ouch. Not even my peppermint mocha can sweeten that spoonful of reality.
So this year, instead of mourning our Christmases past, I am working on letting go of all the things I hold on to as “Christmas” and letting God replace that hole with a deeper desire to know and honor Him all year long. After all, isn’t He the true Christmas spirit?
No comments:
Post a Comment