Letting Christmas Linger

“Alright, ladies. You know what we have to do in the morning. I don’t want any crying or complaining from any of you. It is time to get this done.”

My husband looked around the dinner table at the four of us. My daughters and I sat there a little dumbfounded, wondering what horrible thing we were going to have to do the next morning. I laughed when it hit me. The Christmas decorations had to come down.

Now, I am sure some of you may think the no crying or complaining part was intended for my daughters. Not so. My husband was addressing me – the lover of Christmas decorations. The woman who will put him off for as long as possible to keep the tree up just one more day, pretty please with red and green sprinkles on top.

I crossed my heart and promised to be a good girl about un-decorating our house, but as I boxed up the ornaments and candles, I asked him if we could leave one decoration out a little while longer. I felt a tug not to pack our Nativity scene up quite yet.

I got to thinking about how we spend Christmas reflecting on the precious gift of love that came down from Heaven to Earth. The sacrificial gift of love born of a virgin and placed in a manger. And we ourselves go around loving sacrificially all through the month of December. We give of our time. We give of our money. We give gifts and love to those we know and even to those we don’t. We joyfully give, give, give, give, give.

But what about come January? If we take a good, hard, honest look at our lives, how generous are we the rest of the year? How freely do we give of our time, our resources, ourselves? Do we let the spirit of sacrificial love and giving follow us into the New Year or do we box it up in Rubbermaid tubs and throw it in the attic with the rest of the Christmas stuff?

My Nativity scene is staying out a little longer this year to remind me to be careful. Careful that, as I head into the New Year, I don’t pack up Jesus. Not the resin babe I love setting out on top of my piano, but the Jesus that resides inside of me. The Jesus who put me first. The Jesus who gave until it cost Him His life. The Jesus who is supposed to come pouring out of me daily – not just one month a year.

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:4-5

Christ’s attitude? It was and is one of giving. As we un-decorate our homes, may we be careful not to un-decorate our hearts. A generous heart, a heart like the Savior’s, is beautiful all year long.