Fading Flower

I almost missed Christmas.  I'm really disappointed in myself. 

What are you talking about Vivian?  How could you do that?  Well, I did the thing that I very much did not want to do.  I missed the point of Christmas.  I got caught in all the stuff.  You know, the stuff that totally bogs us down.  The totally irrelevant, having nothing to do with Christ, crap that comes with Christmas.  Decorating, food, shopping, finding the PERFECT gift, hosting, wrapping, Christmas cards.  UGH! 

"Christmas is so stressful!" I complained to Louis.  "This really sucks." 
"Vivian, if this is gonna stress you out, then we need to re-evaluate, it's gonna have to go," he replied.  "You're just gonna have it cut all of it."

*crickets*

Cut it all out?  What is Christmas without all that stuff?!  How can you strip down Christmas?!  Undecorated house?!  How can I not send out Christmas cards?!  I already bought them.  Christmas will suck. 

...Won't it? 

I sat down and considered what this all meant.  Christmas without all the hoopla that ensues surely wouldn't be Christmas.  But that's exactly what it should be.  Christmas should only and I mean ONLY be about Christ.  If I can't do all these things and remain Christocentric, then he was right.  It should go.  It ought to go.  It's meaningless if I can't do it with purpose.  Don't get me wrong, all that stuff is nice.  The baking, the warm fuzzies from getting and giving gifts, the beauty of lights and greenery and the perfectly ornate tree.  But that's not what I'm celebrating.  I'm celebrating my Savior.  And he has nothing to do that it. 

Louis and I learned that a lot of people, Christians actually don't celebrate Christmas at all.  Crazy isn't it?  Those people, such buzzkills.  But they're very intentional and thought out in their decision.  It's very cool and respectable.  So we really really thought about it.  Should we celebrate Christmas at all?  And we made a very conscientious, deliberate reason to do so.  We choose to celebrate Christmas.  Translated- we choose to pick one day out of the year to honor the Savior, that he came to save us from our sin.  That's what we will do.  That is the primary reason for Christmas in our home.  Meaning everything else is secondary.  Even gift-giving. 

Thank God, I have a husband with such a good head on his shoulders.  He kept me from missing Christmas.  My house isn't decorated.  I'm not sending out Christmas cards this year, not even New Years cards at this point.  We bought gifts for the people that bought us gifts.  We didn't even get gifts for each other.  This is the second year without a tree.  And you know what?  It's okay.  I'm okay.  In fact, this might be the best Christmas I've ever had.  How's that you ask? 

Because this year, this year I love my Savior more than every before.  Merry Christmas beloved.