It’s that time of the year again, although the stores and television commercials seemed way ahead of me. For my husband and I, it’s been a week of busyness, pulling out the many, familiar plastic bins and boxes full of carefully wrapped Christmas decorations and ornaments. I must admit, especially as we age, this time is a little overwhelming and exhausting at the end of each day of decorating. But together, my husband and I are also getting into the Christmas spirit. With our stream of traditional Carols playing as we empty each box and place all our cherished decorations in their familiar spots, we are starting to feel the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus.
Sure, we adorn our home with our prized Santa figurines, lighted houses and snowy display and our different themed Christmas trees (we have 13); but our biggest excitement is unwrapping and lovingly displaying all our nativities throughout our home. I couldn’t even begin to count how many we’ve accumulated over the years, but holding each one reminds me that Jesus is the center of this most important holiday. Even as I gaze at what we have deemed the “night light”, which is our nativity tree in the master bedroom, it has a calming effect as I close my eyes each night.
So, let’s remember, as we travel the road with the Holy Family towards Bethlehem, let our greeting each other with “Merry CHRISTmas” remind us of what we are really celebrating. Let it be an exclamation, acknowledging our belief there was a nativity that included Mary, Joseph and the infant, Jesus, who brought hope to our world.
During this Advent of waiting and anticipation, let’s put the nativity in full view to being our light that outshines the busyness of the season. As we bake our cookies, as we wrap our gifts, as we shop for presents for our loved ones, let us be more mindful of the greatest gift of all.
I hope that you will unwrap and display your special nativity during this CHRISTmas season. If you have a favorite, I hope you’ll share a picture with From God’s Lips. Let’s light up our world for all to see!
“And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.” Luke 2:16
From God's Lips 