A Fresh Perspective

I love reading women who value what is important. I may not do thing the same way they do, but they challenge me. Wardeh (pronounced Wardee) is one of those women. Focused on simplicity, wholeness, health, and real celebration. I feel calm visiting her “blawg house” for a cup of tea or coffee while I see her stir around, always soothingly busy, working with her hands. She wrote a post this week that touched me, I guess because I realized that ALL of us feel the holiday frazzle of schedules and projects and houses and foods. There was a comment left on her blog that continues to impress itself upon me. Oh, yes, I’ve worked very hard this week, and need to rest, but I need to get these books close to done for the children before school is out so we can base cookies and do fun things (I hope!). This comment left a fresh perspective breathing life into my activities. Sort of a counter to all the “Christmas is not about the ’stuffs’ anyway”. For me, I hate to say, it sort of is. Not to a religious legalism sort of thing, but in other ways.

My Mom always got the house ready for guests around the holidays, fresh paint on trim and doors that needed touchup, fresh baths, all decorated with seasonal towels and sometimes even greenery. She wanted to have people over to celebrate at a moment’s notice after church or meetings. And we were expected to help. It was a SPECIAL season. Things were different. Foods were ready. People were coming and going and laughing and singing.

I want that, too.

I need it.

I’m not there yet!

But, the celebrations and lights and glow and tinsel…the high spirits, yes, sometimes they “intrude” on the feeling winter calls us to: deep rest, sleep, hibernation. But, that can wait until January. And here is Christmas, to help us with stark winter.

I was reading over at Wardeh’s Such Treasures.  A friend of her’s, Karen Twombly. commented on her

post about the holiday clutter and rush.  She said:

I am struggling with the same [feelings of undone-ness with the season]. This is why I leave my tree up after everything else is put away. THEN, I sit in the room with a hot cup of coffee and my Bible and worship God and thank Him for sending His Son to live among us and die for us!!

I don’t think all this time of preparation and busyness is all bad as long as it ends in worship. The Bible is full of big festivals and feasting days. I am going to try to think of Christmas as a big feasting day of dedication to the Lord. I will put up with the preparations, busyness and exhaustion. Then on Christmas and after, I will bask in praise and worship to the Lord!

That bears quoting and repeating and reviewing…just balance all the thoughts on “Christmas is not about commercialism anyway”.  IT IS ALSO ABOUT HOSPITALITY AND CELEBRATION…AND THAT TAKES A LOT OF WORK AND EFFORT, BUT WORTH IT!  PEOPLE ARE WORTH IT!

“The Bible is full of big festivals and feasting days. [YES!] I am going to try to think of Christmas as a big feasting day of dedication to the Lord [YES!]. I will put up with the preparations, busyness and exhaustion [YES!]. Then on Christmas and after, I will bask in praise and worship to the Lord![yes.]“