"Christmastime is here."
Christmas is my favorite. Absolute favorite. If I sit down and think about why, my thoughts get all tangled up, like last year’s twinkle lights, because of all the giddiness. There’s just so many reasons and they’re all pretty fantastic! So, as we do with tangled lights, it’s easier to go one knot & twist at a time.
First Tangle: The trees & twinkle lights. I know some people are all about Santas or Snowmen but I’m an Evergreen girl. There’s something about the deep lush green, covered with the brightening of white snow lights or those bows covered in colored twinkles like glowing sprinkles. There’s a warmth to the contrast.
Next Knot: The food & togetherness. Christmas feasts can look like the spread from a Christmas Carol with the Ghost of Christmas Present, but to me its a conglomeration of comfort foods (A tray of Chick-Fil-A nuggets can beat a roasted pig with an apple in its mouth). A feast can be a solo event, but it implies a gathering, and that’s another element of Christmas that I utterly adore: togetherness. It’s loud. It’s messy. It’s imperfect. But there’s good food, cuddling, laughing and so so much remembering of old times, good times and what we are really thankful for. That whole reason for this season: Jesus’ birth. It’s one thing to get excited about something, but for this extrovert, getting excited with people enhances the thrill, and the togetherness element is no exception at Christmastime.
Another twist in the wrinkles of twinkles: the polar opposites. The Polar Express isn’t the only “Polar” part of Christmas. Neither are the dark green branches and the bright white lights… there’s also Rest & Busyness and elements of Depth & Shallowness. Rest is a favorite. We have this tradition in my house, when we get home from any errands or out-of-the-house activities everyone runs upstairs to put on comfy pants. Comfy pants are a great start to rest. And over the holidays there are days off, and sleeping in (sometimes) or an occasional nap. And it’s a good thing we can too, because Christmas is a busy time! Parties, and shopping and the hustle and bustle… but without those the rest would feel pointless and without the rest we’d have no energy for a Christmas Eve service, and last minute shopping dashes. We need the polar opposites! Same is true with the depth and shallowness. I’m ALL for the real meaning of Christmas. Advent Season is literally something I look forward to all year, as we remember what Jesus has done for us. All the layers of build up and intentionality that He exemplified as the Messiah. It’s the best, and nothing can beat it. But I also love the classic claymation movies, and giggling as we blow tinsel on the tree, driving around neighborhoods looking at the light decorations on people’s homes… none of that really ‘matters’ but I think it's another essential opposite. It really is good to hold depth and a little meaningless fun at the same time.
In the end, the Final Tangle in the Lights: The Traditions. This is the biggest one, kind of the heart of what makes Christmas my favorite. The combination of how old traditions can be and how customizable they are to each family is incredible. I truly delight in hearing the stories of what families do each year and why. Some families get Christmas Pjs, or volunteer at Soup Kitchens, or travel… the silly and important ways we chose to spend our Christmastime are all so different, but they are saturated in meaning.
I love Christmastime, as it reminds me of what matters. Whether you do Christmas with flare, or keep it simple, to quote Dr. Seuss: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
I hope as you untangle your lights, deck the halls, seek all comfort & joy, merry & bright, that your heart is drawn to the start, the simple, the beauty that was in that first Christmas. That “little bit more” is what it’s all about.
Merry Christmas!
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Julia is a dear friend from college who has amazingly become a better friend as time and distance between us has grown (thank you, Marco Polo!). Julia loves to use her writing to encourage and challenge others, always with an element of fun. And I say honestly that she probably loves Christmas more than anyone else I know.
Along with writing, Julia has a love for photography, and is also currently captaining a book launch for the book She Speaks Stories. To hear and see more from Julia, find her on Instagram and Facebook at @thehappychaos, at the podcast She Speaks Stories where she serves as a story curator, and check out the book launch she is captaining on Instagram at @KatieMHawkins.
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