It is better to finish something than to start it.
It is better to be gentle and patient than to be proud
and impatient.
(Ecclesiastes 7:8 Easy-to-Read Version)
A lot of people have told me
that they have taken all their Christmas decorations down and have put them
away until next year. “Yup,” they say, “We put the tree up the day after
Thanksgiving and take it down the day after Christmas.”
Not in my house. First of
all, I can’t imagine getting any decorating done right after Thanksgiving. I tend
to procrastinate about everything, so it does seem as though I just finished decorating.
Plus, since going to a fake tree last year, what’s the hurry? It’s not shedding
any needles.
In reality, though, now that
Christmas Day has passed and the shopping and wrapping (and unwrapping) and
Christmas cookie baking are over with, I just want to sit back and enjoy my
house. I want to curl up in a blanket on the couch and gaze at the lights on
the tree or study the snow falling in the snow globes. And mostly I just want
to take a few breaths and reflect on the season.
Christmas isn’t over in one
day. If we can decorate for Christmas a month early, why can’t we leave the
decorations up all year? Or at least keep the season in our hearts all year.
Instead of saying, “It’s a relief when Christmas is over” we should be saying “Christmas
has just begun.”
Lord, God, forgive us when we forget the reason for
the season. Thank You for sending Your Son in the form of an innocent baby. Let
us keep Him in our hearts each and every day. Amen
2 comments:
We have a real tree & I take it down on New Years day while watching the Rose Bowl Parade. I love to enjoy my decorations, most of them have some history to them as they have been handed down from my grandparents, wedding presents or things we have gotten while on vacation.
That's another thing with my tree. It is such a hodge-podge of ornaments, but most of them were gifts or are sentimental in some way. I do want to spend time enjoying them and recalling the stories they all tell.
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