The Weary World Rejoices

It's the Christmas season!  Often during Advent, I write something along the lines of "I now interrupt your busy schedule of parties and shopping and cookie exchanges to say REMEMBER THE DARKNESS" - see, e.g., An Advent Reflection and Already, Not Yet.  (I'm being kind of silly with this intro, but if any of you are struggling with the darkness of this year and how to mesh that with Christmas season, those might actually be better posts for you than this one.)  

But this year, with darkness being a much harder thing to miss, I think it's a great year to focus on the wonder of the season.  I deeply feel the line "A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices" - because, like many of you, I'm feeling weary - and I want to think about how and why we're rejoicing (isn't a little rejoicing much needed in 2020?).  Here are some of the things I'm thinking about:

1.  Beauty all around - I tend to be a very functional and minimalist decorator, but I LOVE when our Christmas tree goes up, and I love decorating it with special ornaments that bring back memories.  I love that Kenny puts up outdoor Christmas decorations, and I love driving around town and seeing more lights go up every day.  I love that it's the time of year where you're encouraged to make the rich, flavorful appetizers and desserts (this year it might be just for your household - do it anyway!!) and burn fragrant candles.  Most of all, I love Christmas music, and I love how you can hear it playing everywhere from gas stations to church choirs.  Extravagant beauty that feeds all our senses abounds during this season - notice it, let it bring joy.  

2.  The Christmas story - There are so many miraculous pieces to this story.  A barren older woman becomes pregnant with the child who will be the messenger.  A virgin birth.  Angels make multiple appearances.  Everyone from shepherds to wise men come to visit this baby (the International Epic party that Zoey was hoping for :).  There's a mega star to guide the way.  Can you imagine being a part of any of this??

3.  The values emphasized at Christmas:  In this world where we've gotten so good at screaming at each other about everything, what a wonder that there is a season where the following virtues are celebrated:  Light.  Hope.  Peace.  Joy.  Love.  Goodwill towards Men.  New Life.   It's beautiful!!

4.  The main event - All of the above is great, but it's really just sign posts leading us to the biggest thing we celebrate at Christmas:  God came to earth as a human child, and He did it to save us all.  THIS is the place from which all the rest of the beauty flows.  And in this year of struggle, we are in such a good place to see our need for the hope that Christmas brings.

Merry Christmas to you all!  Tell me how you're seeing beauty in this Advent and Christmas season!