Look who has come to live in my yard

"Ok, there is a newcomer in our backyard. I must check this out."

 "Hmm? What is on the back side of this creature?"

 "Maybe there is something different on this side."

 "I give up. I don't know what this is. It is too big for me to attack. I am not happy about this turn of events. I think I will go groom myself."

 "Oh, Betty, you little goofy kitty, it is St Francis, patron saint of animals."

"I think we should let him stay."

As usual, Dino is right. St Francis of Assisi has come to live in our backyard. If you have ever heard of St Francis, you know he is the patron saint of animals and nature. But did you also know that, in 1220, he was the first person to set up a nativity scene? With a manger filled with hay flanked by an ox and a donkey, it was much simpler than the creches we create these days.

(If you want to learn more about the very first manger story, be sure to get your copy of "The Christmas Story in 40 Days".)

Is your tree out on the curb?

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