Christmas Decorations

All together now..."It's the most wonderful tiiiiiime, of the yeeeeeaaaar..."  If you're reading this, then you've obviously taken a two minute break during the Christmas season.  Good for you!  Not that you've lobbied for the earth's rotation to pause enabling you to read my weekly journal. 

It's so ingrained in our societal DNA to make December the craziest month of our calendar.  There are dozens of holidays, events, and causes vying for our time.  (By the way, if you ever choose to start your own holiday, why not pick May or October?  Do you remember Seinfeld's "Festivus?")

Of course Christmas is the center of my December.  That, too, can hold one of several implications.  Let's narrow it down to Jesus' birth (which of course probably didn't happen on Dec. 25).  There is no greater hope offered to the world than Christ, the Savior, being born.  But we often cloud it with so much other stuff:  presents, parties, aggressive shopping, an increase of junk food, arguing with family members, and moving!

Yes, I said moving.  That has become one of our favorite holiday traditions.  We've done it three times now.  Of course we've moved many other times, but I'm only talking Christmas here.  If you visit our home during December you're likely to find our new holiday decoration of choice - the cardboard box.  And these ain't filled with toys.  Well, last year's toys.  And towels.  And food processors.  And books.  And...well, you get the point.

So a quick tour of our home will reveal a bounty of cardboard boxes stacked in corners, children's closets half empty, and bathrooms with only one bottle of some cleaning-something.  I think I actually washed my hair with shaving cream this morning.  Anyhoo, we are moving again, but this time just a few miles down the road.  We didn't mean for this to happen.  We tried to buy a house months ago.  So it's another Christmas with our kids gawking at the neighbors' lights while we appear unfestive to those who pass by our rental home.  The only "Christmasy" items in the house are the advent calendars.  

So while you attend parties, decorate trees, and sing carols, I'll be painting walls, tearing out carpet, and searching for the box I packed my wallet in (po-tay-to, po-tah-to).  Though you and I will be celebrating in vastly different ways this month, here's to keeping Jesus "the reason for the season!"