Over the past few years, we’ve gotten very little snow before Christmas.
This year - that’s not the case. Today is the second day of the first semester of school that students and staff are staying home due to a blizzard. The first day was November 10th. Needless to say, it’s going to be a white Christmas.
Early snow meant that it began to feel a lot like Christmas a few weeks earlier in our house than usual. While I was outside blowing the 24 inches of snow we got in early November from our sidewalks and driveway, Rachel and the kids spent time putting up our Christmas decorations.
Rachel and I both grew up in live Christmas tree homes. When we got married, we bought a real Christmas tree for the first few years, but the expense of the trees started to change our minds. After we moved into our house eight years ago, we decided to embrace the fake Christmas tree life and purchased a white tree.
Last year, when we pulled the white Christmas tree out of storage we noticed that we no longer had a white tree - it was some combination of off-white and yellow.
Seven years in our living room during Christmas (and completely assembled sitting in the basement for the rest of the year) had done a number on the whiteness of the synthetic needles.
Instead of purchasing another white tree, we decided to try something new - something completely Pinterest-y - a pink, wood triangle tree.
It took me a few attempts in the garage with my saw and tools, but I eventually created something that we really enjoy. The lights inside the tree provide the structure for the ornaments.
There ended up being only a few days last year when the tree was up, but we are already going on five weeks strong for this Christmas season.
Nearly every morning, right when the kids leave their room, they gravitate to the lit tree in the otherwise dark living room.
Linnea and Elias grab a blanket and sit next to each other at the tree. Since there aren’t branches and the ornaments instead are on the string of lights, it’s become a daily occurrence to move the ornaments around.
They are drawn to our Christmas tree.
Thinking back to when I was growing up, I remember feeling the same way. As my dad watched the morning news, I would grab a blanket and lay next to the lit tree in our dark living room. My younger brother and I would rearrange the “kid-friendly” ornaments my mom placed on the bottom branches of the tree.
Something magical must happen with kids and Christmas trees. Maybe Christmas trees draw people in because they are temporary. It might be the decorations. For those that have real trees, it might be the smell.
But I think it’s the lights.
A Christmas tree illuminated by light in a dark room draws everyone’s eye. That’s what light does. Light draws people to it.
During the winter when it is dark for 14 hours per day, Christmas lights pierce through the darkness. That’s the reason people started turning on their Christmas lights early in the pandemic of March/April 2020.
Light overcomes darkness.
And that’s who Jesus is - the Light of the World.
That’s also who followers of Christ are called to be - lights in the world.
So this Christmas season, I pray that you take time to pause and reflect on the Light of the World, the one who came to Earth as a baby to live a life as a man to die a death as a Savior.
If you have questions or want to know more about the Savior - don’t hesitate to reach out. There’s nothing more important in my life than talking to others about how much He loves you.
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