I'm assuming this is due in part to my childhood Christmases. My father worked for a large interior decorating company, and so whenever Christmastime rolled around, he acquired a lot of extra holiday stuff. Like, A LOT of stuff. During the month of December, there was not a nook or cranny of our house that remained untouched. It didn't matter if the decor was not practical or "kid-friendly" or in the way. You just made room for it.
"Find a new place to hang your backpack, kids, because Jingle Bell Santa lives there right now."
"Dry your hands on your pants, because those are decorative Christmas towels." (Soaps... Toilet seat covers...)
(Love you, Mom and Dad!)
I remember my sister and I running around the house shaking and twirling the music boxes to our snow globes so they'd all play at the same time. We must have had a dozen of them. I can guess that my parents probably don't remember that activity as fondly as I do.
The excess of decorations just became a part of Christmas for me--and really, truly, I loved it. That's why I tried to incorporate those happy memories in my own home.
**Enter Pinterest, and apparently, my doom.**
Now Christmas decorations weren't just something I pulled out and fawned over each December, but they were something I planned and obsessed over throughout the year. I was looking at frosted front porch ideas when it was still 100 degrees outside. I had more Christmas mantle ideas pinned than I had opportunities to light my fireplace. I researched different ideas to hand-make my Christmas gift tags as soon as Hobby Lobby put out their Christmas displays--in August. I was a crazy person.
I remember feeling especially proud of this one design I tried out a few Christmases ago. I lined my beautiful nativity set up with a big, bold Texas star flanked to the side of it and a sign I made that read, "We have seen his star in the east..." Yes, I included the ellipses. It was like I knew there was more to that story, but didn't think it was necessary to include.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)
You guys. I literally left out the part where they came to worship Him.
A while back, my husband was deployed overseas in Afghanistan, and his brigade posted this picture for families to view of their night sky.
Breathtaking, isn't it?
Though I can't be totally sure, I assume it would have taken a special kind of star for the magi to have taken notice of that night--Bright and beautiful. And I could safely guess that they would not have been the only ones to have noticed such a star. In fact, I'm sure a star that was able to stand out in a night sky like the one pictured above probably got a lot of attention and praise.
But it wasn't about the star, no matter how bright and beautiful it was. The star was pointing to something much more important.
I still love my twinkle lights and my snow globes, and even my Texas stars. I hope my children always do, too. But may they be the bright and beautiful things that point them to the more important thing:
His Name is Jesus.
