Christmas needs to be a week later this year!

When there are only 4 Sunday’s between Thanksgiving and Christmas it sure seems rushed. I am at least one week behind in preparations for the best holiday of the year. When I was growing up we did not start to decorate until after my birthday (Dec. 6). Now that seems so late to begin but we have not begun at our house. Although we have brought the boxes filled with décor in from the storage shed that is about as far as we have come with the decorations. No outside lights or inflatable decorations (maybe tonight) nothing really. It seems like each night has been filled with other adventures and so decorating has yet to be done. It’s easy to put off because we don’t like doing it.

I heard of a service that will come and decorate your house for the holiday. As part of the fee they will return and take down and store all of your decorations after the season. That’s the part none of us like is the setting up and taking down. I think most of us enjoy the transformation our homes undergo for the season. I know I do. It helps remind me that Christmas is a different time of year. The outside is one thing but what about the inside?

How are you preparing on the inside for Christmas? Advent is the liturgical season of preparation for Christmas. It helps us focus on aspects of Christmas one for each Sunday before Christmas by looking at the human characters in the story. It is to help us prepare internally for the celebration. To be honest, I am not prepared for Christmas. I wish I was just a week late internally for the celebration of Christmas. At this point in time I am a little overwhelmed by what all needs to be done. Overwhelmed in such a way as to be paralyzed buy the thought of the energy it will take to do what needs to be done.

What needs to be done? That is the question. What is a need and what is a want? Needs are a requirement for life like food, water, air, God. Those are needs. Cell phones, cable, extra desserts, candy, parties are all nice but not needs for living. Honestly all of those decorations that are sitting in our dining room waiting to be unpacked and hung and not needed to celebrate Christmas. No, what is needed is a celebration beginning internally and exploding onto those I encounter each day as I go place to place. I will contact those who need to know Christmas is about hope for healing, redemption, peace and love that passes understanding. Hope that outsiders are invited and welcome at the manger where God has come to introduce himself to them. In the beginning God spoke all into existence.

The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 HCSB

I need to get busy not with external decorations but with an internal celebration of the best-est present ever given, Jesus.


Bro G