Yes, it is seven days until Christmas, and the rush is on. Not for me, though. Many years ago my husband Neil and I decided that the Christmas rush of buying, wrapping and giving did not fit us well. We had three brothers, six sisters and 21 nieces and nephews in our two families. Buying for all of those people, planning visits and traveling through snowstorms on tight schedules became too much for our health, our budget and my sanity. We quit cold turkey.
We let all of the relatives know that we were only buying gifts for our parents and not exchanging with everyone else. Do not for a moment think that was an easy choice or that there were easy conversations with our families. It was not stress-free and there was much pushback, but we stood firm. We still visited family, but no longer with a carload of gifts. We were now totally free to enjoy singing carols and going to church Christmas Eve and Christmas Day without stress. What a great blessing we received by stepping out of the craziness associated with the secular holiday and instead stepping into the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
We still had the joy of watching the little ones open their stacks of gifts, knowing they never even missed having none from us because they were overwhelmed with paper and ribbon and toys.
This is not to say we don’t contribute during the Christmas season to bring pleasure to others. We have assisted with the plays, cooking, the women’s Advent teas, etc. But the pressure and mental burden of not buying and mailing gifts is gone.
When we moved from Seattle we found the living room in our Ocean City cottage was too small for a Christmas tree and company at Christmas, so we forwent the tree. We opted for our friends to be comfortable instead and to join us for Christmas dinner. I do a minimal amount of decorating inside our home, but Neil does a lovely job of making the outside festive and inviting with his beautiful handcrafted Nativity scene, including the Christ child, Mary, Joseph, angels and camels.
He lights the area up beautifully with a large star he created that hangs from the railing on our upper deck, and the display is so alluring that we have had people stop and knock at the door to tell us how much they have enjoyed it.
This is our Christmas celebration of Jesus, shared now at ease and pleasure with telephone calls with friends and family and dinner with those who live close by who do not have family. We love attending the children’s play at church as well as the wonderful Christmas Eve candlelight service, where we get to share our love of Jesus.
The sweet quietness lets us remember why we celebrate the Christmas story. God came to Earth as Emmanuel – God with us. If we think of this in the moments we are sitting quietly we realize it is nothing short of astounding that God our Creator allowed His Son to die because we, His creation, have become a lost and evil-at-heart people who dare to shove Him out of our lives. Amazing love, how can it be that Thou my God would die for me.
It brings tears to my eyes when I realize how very much I have been forgiven, and I cannot believe I will ever be able to grasp exactly how this occurred. It was a plan developed by Godly minds so completely filled with love for a people so very selfish. It is nothing other than the Father’s amazing grace.
Both Neil and I have many in our families who do not believe the Christmas story. They don’t contemplate sin or eternity, and it does not enter into their thoughts even at Christmas, but we pray that it will. We pray for all the souls we love so dearly to have open eyes and hearts and to be touched by God’s grace. It is our hope that it will occur soon so that those we love can enjoy the Savior while they have the opportunity.
Christmas is a wonderful time for everyone to reflect about this gift. The busyness of the season is just the evil one taking our eyes off of the most generous love gift the people of this world have ever received. This season, as the words of William D. Longstaff’s song tell us, we need to “Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word. Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak, Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.”
Wishing and praying for many Christmas blessings to you.
Editor’s note: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com.
