Pieces of Christmas

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"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

It's not my house they're talking about, perhaps my neighbor's with the amazing outdoor light display but it's not mine because at my house:

* the tree has stood bare in the corner for a week now, lite only because it came out of the box that way!

* the Christmas photos have been printed yet there are no cards and the address list is MIA

* there are 12 days until Christmas yet the countdown calendar is still in the box of decorations

* I only have an idea for a gift that should have already been in the mail should I hope for it to get there by Christmas

* the Christmas socks that were multiplying like bunnies every time I went looking for normal socks have now apparently gone into hibernation

* the components for various handmade gifts have been purchased yet only a week remains to get them assembled

* I have an amazing Christmas village yet it's been packed away so long it's become a dim memory

* the outside Christmas lights are sitting, in the box, inside.

I have pieces of Christmas.

Various, scattered, random pieces of Christmas.

I doubt that I'll be able to assemble them in time to make that picturesque Currier and Ives holiday.

(sigh)

I seriously don't know how this happened.
The date of Christmas has not changed.
The stores have been heralding it's arrival since mid-October.
I've even scaled back my expectations and aspirations yet still here I am with only pieces...

So what do I do as Christmas is scattered around me? As I roll up my sleeves and determine to get it all done I realize it's not probable. What if those stockings never get hung by the chimney with care?

I know this wasn't the intent of Christmas; the angels said "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will toward men; maybe this is what it’s really all about?

Even though I already know the story and adore the Christ child, perhaps this reminder is for me amidst my pieces of the perfect holiday?

That perhaps the most important piece to have of Christmas is peace in my heart?

I am not going to find it at the mall, or in the boxes of decorations, the beautiful tree, the perfect gift, or the whirl of events I’m attending.
I will only find that peace through my ongoing relationship with the One who came so long ago to a manger, because that was the whole reason He came; to have this relationship with me.

All of these pieces that are strewn around me, stem from the fact that two thousand years ago God made it possible for me to know Him...







Wow. That's amazing.













Suddenly the stockings just don’t seem as important.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Becky, I would come and help you decorate but I just took out my Christmas stuff last night. hee hee. Thanks for putting the whole experience into perspective. Decorations aren't the reason for the season. Thanks for the reminder.
December 13, 2008 at 5:36 PM
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