How are your Christmas preparations progressing?
I have reached the age and station of life, where Christmas decorations should be guided by minimalist philosophy. There should be a small tree on the mantle and maybe one elf on one shelf. At this stage, Christmas should fit into one oversized shoe box. I have been told that I have a Grinch-like view of Christmas decorations.
Speaking of the Grinch, I have been type-cast. I will be in two Christmas parades this year. If you are at the Gibsland parade, I’ll be on the Gibsland Bank float as the Grinch. In Ruston, I’ll be on the Trinity Methodist Church as the Grinch. I will be the happy Grinch with the heart enlarged three times!
Did I tell you that I danced eighteen shows with the Lake Charles Ballet as Santa Claus. I have played that role at least three times. I’m picking up on a theme, people keep putting me in costumes that require extensive make up.
Back to our subject of Christmas decorations.
Do you have items that are always present in your Christmas decorations? Do these items have stories attached to them? In some households Christmas decorating takes a while because the decorator narrates the story of each ornament or decoration. I think I appreciate those stories more now than I once did.
One of the items in our household are the baby gates. For years we have used those gates in the doorway of the room that holds the tree. We have no babies in our family. Our grandchildren are older now. We use the baby gates because we have curious and helpful dogs. The dogs have often seen the Christmas tree and the presents under it as a source of entertainment. The two now living in the house are
proficient at Christmas curiosity and have a history of undecorating and unwrapping presents.
The baby gates minimize the canine caused chaos.
Those gates remind me of an important truth. Christmas is not about order and perfection, it is about mess and chaos. Think about the story.
The orderly life of the engage couple was thrown into chaos. The emperor issued travel mandates. The child was born in a most rustic place. Mom and baby were disturbed by shepherds and their nocturnal visit. Trust me, the sheep were in tow! Herod got involved in the story in a horrible way. Joseph and Mary became immigrants and for a time outcasts.
Christmas is for people who are not perfect, who do not have it together, who are stymied in their planning.
Christmas is a time that reminds us that God can bring order out of chaos. He can bring life and love in surprising ways. He can see a path for you when you can’t claim it for yourself. He meets sin and failure with his love and grace.
That love and grace is often his way of throwing a baby gate around your heart.