If you know me well (…or actually if you know me at all), you know I love holidays. I love decorating, cooking, hosting, and anything festive that coordinates with a holiday. I drink tea in pink mugs for Valentine’s day and make red-white-blue desserts in July and read Christmas stories in December. Oh yes, I celebrate holidays with the best of ‘em.
So don’t think me a Scrooge when I say the commercials on TV this year are driving me crazy! Every other commercial teaches us about the ‘perfect’ Christmas. First, everything must look perfect—clothing, smiles, food, families, homes—with the assumption that perfect things make a perfect holiday. Secondly, the preparation for a perfect Christmas includes buying, buying, and more buying—the more expensive the item, the more you love that person.
The perfect Christmas, right?
I don’t think so.
The only perfect Christmas I know of…was the first one two thousand years ago.
When nothing about it looked perfect… a full inn, an uncomfortable stable, a tiring journey.
Instead of elaborate, it was simple.
Instead of noise and hurry, there was silence and stillness.
Instead of extravagance, there was humility.
Sorry, media. The perfect Christmas looks a little different than you thought. It’s not about making the yummiest cookies, sending the most cards, or even giving the best gifts.
It’s not about stuff. It’s about souls. Salvation. The ultimate gift from the only One who is perfect. It’s about preparing our hearts to give Him even more room than we have before.
Happy Advent, sweet friends. May you have an imperfect Christmas season that leads you closer to our perfect God.
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