This past Saturday was a full day off for me and I had a list of to-dos that kept me busy. You know the to-do lists we have right now. Part of my list was to decorate my Christmas Tree.
I decorate my Christmas Tree with the Christmas lights off so I can see where there are empty spots for ornaments. I kept smiling as I hung ornaments from my childhood, ornaments children who are now adults made me, ornaments with pictures of my nephew and niece in them, and ornaments from places I had great experiences.
The sun had gone down by the time I finished getting all the ornaments on the Christmas Tree. I turned on the lights…oh my! Aren’t Christmas Trees so beautiful? And there’s something about Christmas lights that makes it all amazing. I have a large Nativity that I set up with little twinkling lights around it. I have a Christmas Cottage and a Santa’s Toy Shop that lights up. I have garland with lights over two bookcases and over a hutch.
I turned off the regular lights in my apartment and sat on the couch with only all the different Christmas lights on. It is beautiful and made me really feel the Christmas Spirit rather than the stress I was feeling.
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them. Luke 2:20
I have been told the Christmas Story my whole life, first at home by my parents, then hearing it in the Gospel reading at Mass, and all through Faith Formation still.
I have seen how our Church and homes are decorated for Christmas and how even the world around seems decorated. And I have seen the Nativity in our Church each year.
I do the work to decorate my home and office because I want to glorify God and keep telling the joyful, love-filled Christmas Story.
God loves you so much that He crossed an unimaginable boundary and became human so that He can be one with you!
That’s what love does.
Still.
Let that really sink into your heart this fourth week of Advent.