we have spent the past week decorating our home for christmas. perhaps it is a bit early for getting out all the christmas decor, but we began the custom of decorating before thanksgiving many years ago. my work as a musician meant that december was the busiest month of the year, with multiple performances and church services every week. having all the christmas trappings in place before the first of december made the month less hectic. now that we no longer have so much busy-ness in december, we still continue our custom of decorating early so that we can enjoy the advent and christmas season more.
both my wife and i are christmas nuts of a sort. we love beautiful christmas decorations, and we have many santa statues throughout our home once the decorating is complete. we have a huge collection of ornaments and bought a second tree last year so we can use more of them. every time we make a trip, we buy a new ornament that reminds us of our adventure. we also have several ceramic trees and nativity scenes scattered throughout our home. my wife has a collection of little jeweled christmas boxes and snow globes that she loves to display. she is an expert gift wrapper, and her goal each year is to have all the christmas gifts wrapped before thanksgiving. she usually realizes that goal, and this year is no exception.
we tell ourselves each year as we begin to empty the christmas closet and move everything into the house that we won't buy any more christmas decorations. then we see something that we think we can't live without and add it to the mix. this year, it was three metal christmas trees for outside. i spent yesterday spray painting them because we wanted them to be white rather than the bare metal that they were when we bought them. because of the weather, i had to paint in the garage, which meant that much of the garage floor was covered with a fine powder of white particles that was left after the painting was complete. i spent about two hours on my hands and knees with a pail of water beside me and a cloth in my hand mopping up the residue from the spray paint, but i guess the labor will be worth it once the lights are on the new trees and they join our other outdoor decorations in the front of our home.
all that is left is decorating the indoor trees, positioning garland on the fireplace mantle, and adding some lights to a couple of outdoor wreaths. i think our christmas decorating mission will be complete before thanksgiving, as we intended. needless to say, my wife and i are exhausted but we're ready to enjoy the coming season. we all need some cheering up at the end of a year that hasn't been so great. the pandemic is raging, and the current president continues to live in a dream world where he believes he has won re-election despite all the evidence to the contrary. seeing the many lights, angels, santas, manger scenes, and all the other images of christmas is just what we need to remind us that there is always hope in the darkest of times. whether we believe that the origin of christmas in a manger in bethlehem is true or not, it is a time of wonder that takes us away from our day-to-day lives to a magical place and series of events.
may we allow some of that wonder and magic in our lives. may the light of christmas brighten our lives during what is literally the darkest time of the year. may the ideal of peace on earth and goodwill to humankind become alive in our hearts. shalom.
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