Decorating for Christmas is just what I do the day after Thanksgiving. (or should I say…begin the day after Thanksgiving.) There is not enough money in this world I could save or someone could pay, for that matter, to make me shop the sales on that day. I have bad enough road rage and sometimes have issues with rude fast food workers—so the last thing I need to do is be in a wild, mad crowd fighting over Christmas gifts!!!(fighting for Christmas gifts…sounds crazy but it’s true) That just makes my chest tighten up thinking about it. Nope…NO BIG CROWDS for this chick! However, I really am glad the rest of my family have enjoyed this tradition because I have to be alone to create my Christmas “art” from year to year. Lol I remember the early years of my married life when we just put up a tree and possibly a few decorations on a table. I always had a Christmas towel and few red and green items blended in my kitchen décor as well. Somewhere along the way…my imagination grew bigger and bigger and I lost my mind!! Now, everything gets taken down, boxed up, and gets a very good cleaning and then….CHRISTMAS COMES TO THE HARRINGTON HOME!!! My daughter Kati just laughs at me and says she’ll never do all this. Although she, and all my kids, love the decorated “Christmas cottage”…they know for days I am more nuts than usual. Everything, even pictures, are taken off the walls in den and kitchen and replaced with Christmas ones. I look and tweak and re-arrange until every room in the house is to my perfection. Then, I tweak it seems until Christmas Eve. I just love it!! Don’t get impressed, these are not some vogue decorations. I have been collecting and buying for years. Red and green baby…no color theme for me!!!(does help that I have a green den and red kitchen though) Traditional all the way!! My kids have created things over the years , and I saved each one of them and still put them out each year. A few items have a staple spot each year but for the most part,it is always a new surprise. I just love it! One of the things that has the same home each Christmas season is my crystal holy family my nephew gave me years ago when he was in my elementary children’s choir at our church. (He’s now a doctor of education and is married with a little girl but I have always treasured that gift) Each year it is placed on a small shelf near the front door. From it hangs a lovely crystal cross that one of my very best friends gave me years ago. Above the shelf is a frame with a poem I wrote entitled “The Star”. On the frame is a crystal star that I hot glued on to enhance the effect and make it all tie in together. The strangest thing started happening about 3 years ago however. Every day or so, I would lose baby Jesus. Now as we all know, that is the entire point …Jesus. So the fact that He was missing was very noticeable. A few things that really puzzled me is that it was glass-did it break, who’d pick it up and move it,(Rivers was a tiny , tiny baby then or she’d been the number one suspect) and if it just fell off then where in this little house did it go?? I looked for the entire day inside cushions, under the furniture , in the greenery ---it was hopeless. I had no clue where it could be. Then, I decided that someone must have just broken it and threw it away and had forgotten to tell me. So, later, I walked out the front door and guess what I found on the front porch? Yep! Baby Jesus! I was confused on how he ended up there but was soooo happy. I placed him back with Mary and Joseph and went on my way. A few days later, it happened again…then again…and again. I just don’t know he kept getting on the front porch but it became very entertaining to me. Well, the next year, I went to put the little crystal holy family out and Mary had been beheaded during the unpacking or at some point during the year. This was not good..not good at all. I think everyone would notice if Mary had no head so I began looking. Miraculously, I found her head and hot glued it on.( I do pretty good work if I do say so myself with my hot glue gun) It fell off a few times, but I kept the glue gun handy, and it worked. We only found Jesus had slipped off a few times that year. Same place…front porch. I know…that’s just strange. Well, this year there was my poem, the cross, and Jesus, but no sign of Mary and Joseph. ANYWHERE!! (Not even a head or anything) So, I thought I would place everything else and come back and decide what to do with that later. Two days later when everything was finished I sat back to admire my work. How cozy and Christmasy everything looked! Perfect. Then- I saw it. My wall with my star poem, the cross below and baby Jesus..all alone. Of course greenery but no Mary and no Joseph. My first thought was how sad it was because my Matthew had given it to me. My second thought—well, I’ll keep Jesus but replace Mary and Joseph. Now, finding a crystal holy family like that may be easier said than done. Sure enough, I looked at Fred’s , Dollar General, and another local dollar store in town –but no luck. I had decided I bet I could find one at the Dollar Tree in Tupelo. I had remembered seeing one a few weeks back and smiling because mine is so special to me. Now…I’d just have to wait until a trip to Tupelo was on my to do list and would be sure to check on it then. So days have passed. I was touching up and adding to a few things in the house last night and for some reason my gaze went back to baby Jesus. Then…it hit me!!! How appropriate He have a place of His on to be displayed. After all, the star shown on HIM as HE lay in the manger and the cross beneath my lovely display…praise HIM…for dying on that cross for all our sin. He came from heaven to earth to show us THE WAY….Him! So…there is no way I am replacing or looking for a new holy family. I think it is as it should be…Jesus…simply Jesus. My prayer is that will be the theme for myself and my entire family this year—just simply Jesus. In all the excitement of the holidays and festive events--- Christmas caroling, programs at church, family, Miss Rivers , family gatherings, friends, shopping, wrapping, and all the wonderful things I enjoy doing –I pray with all my heart I truly keep Christ in my heart the entire time. Not just during the holiday season but every day after. I wrote a Christmas song many years ago that spoke of this very thing. We open packages and make a mess every single Christmas morning , and I have heard many say the saddest day is the day after Christmas. May it never be!! In the song I remind each of us that Jesus is the only gift we can share, yet we get to keep. Actually, we grow in Him each time we share the good news about Him as well. Wow!! Now, if we focus on Jesus and give Him the place of honor He deserves our December 26 will also be full of joy!!!Jesus isn’t to be packed up with the decorations nor is our joy we sing about coming to the world. While we’re giving gifts, let’s each remember to share the gift, the true gift that keeps on giving…Jesus. As the last line in my Christmas song says, “He said ‘Go Tell it on the Mountain’—my Son is born today.” See, Christmas Day should just recharge our batteries so we can go tell on the mountains we’ve been given. We remember Him as a baby --being born at Christmas –lying in the manger -- Truth is, He grew up, died for our sin, and sits at the right hand of GOD!!! And someday…He’s coming back to get all His children!!! Now that’s what we need to celebrate in our hearts—Jesus. All of Him. Not just a part of Him! Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE EVERYTHING about Christmas…but I certainly don’t won’t to forget to love Jesus during this time of hustle and bustle. So…this starts a new tradition for me. Jesus has His special place all His own in my décor this year and from now own. And when I pack up this year…He’s going in the china cabinet! I really want to take care of Him, so I’ll be sure I pay special attention and keep an eye on Him all year. After all…isn’t that what we are supposed to do… Keep our eyes on Jesus!!! I know from experience when I take my eyes off Him for very long…I lose sight of Him. My prayer is He’ll overwhelm each of us this holiday season with His glory!!! Until later….
LO
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