CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE

A quick thought standing at the kitchen sink:  I've almost got a handle on Christmas. A moment of pride. The menu in my head, the gifts mostly under the tree.  I'm not adrift and I'm the one who has to make it happen:  plan the meals, buy the gifts, cook the meals, decorate the house, wrap the presents, stack the log rack and light the fire. 

Then minutes later, looking out the window at the red sun behind the trees, I catch myself:  I don't make Christmas happen at all.  Whether I'm stressed or harried, the house a mess, the tree lights tangled, the cookies store-bought, the late arrival of a gift or two, nothing is about me.

Whatever made me think I needed a "handle" on Christmas?  When has that ever mattered? Why all the self-centeredness?

We will go to one of the many Christmas Eve services and sing Silent Night, Holy Night by candlelight. The family members who spend Christmas Eve at our house will arrive somewhere near the allotted time.  We will, in fact, have too much food for our small group.

The next day we will unwind, my husband and I and the day after more grandchildren will come.  No one cares if wrapping paper is strewn and the ham or turkey is left-over. Hopefully we, with the rest of Christendom, will count our many blessings, our OK-to-good health, the warmth of our friendships, the love of friends and family.    

Hopefully we will remember that Christmas is not about Santa or jingle bells or how many gifts we give or receive. Or even our everyday worries. We will remember that Christmas is about our faith in the Christ child who was born in a manger to die and be resurrected on Easter Sunday and give us eternal life.  

And you and I will say, "In this we believe."