Some rambling thoughts about Christmas

Every year, time seems to move at its normal pace until we hit December 1st. I keep thinking I have TONS of time to get ready for Christmas. And then we hit the 1st and everything goes into overdrive, between church commitments and school activities and various other family and friends kind of activities, and I end up rushing to finish everything that needs to get done in the last 10 days before Christmas. I always feel a little fed up and exhausted and relieved that it's almost done, and there's just nothing right about that. For a number of years we've celebrated Advent as a family, and every night at dinner we read some great verses and talk about what we've read, and then we light a candle. It's great, and meaningful, and it tends to keep us a little more focused on what's important. But we're now a week into Advent, and we haven't had time for it. Well, we haven't made the time, I guess.

I love to read Jan Karon's Shepherds Abiding every year around the holidays. The main character reflects on the fact that "...jumping into the fray the day after Halloween was akin to hitting, and holding, high C for a couple of months, while a bit of patience saved Christmas for Christmas morning and kept the holidays fresh and new." I have a hard time not getting caught up in all of it though, what with Christmas stuff in every store, commercials on TV, and endeavouring to memorize Christmas music every week at choir practice. I find that if i'm not careful, it all becomes quite tedious and exhausting, and the real point of Christmas is lost. So it's all about finding ways to inject real Christmas into everything. I love John 1:14, which says "The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory". When I really sit and think about what that means, it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck a bit. I love the verses in Isaiah, too. And listening to Handel's Messiah.

I've been thinking a lot recently about what Christmas will be like this year without Dad, and dreading it. It's so strange to be shopping for everybody but him. And I'm sad that last Christmas was his last one with us and we didn't know. But on the flip side of things, I can't help but think about the fact that Dad has met Emmanuel face to face! The Word! God's glory has been revealed to him, and Dad is understanding more about Christmas now than he ever did when he was here.

Thinking about that makes me want to try and capture some of that perspective for myself. So heading into these next 19 days, I'm going to try to shift my focus; away from tedious choir practices and shopping and work deadlines and the myriad of other things that clamor for my attention. And instead think about this:

For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6