Are the Decorations What it is All About

The last few weeks I have been noticing all manner of Christmas decorations. Some are lovely and others are just sad. All are suppose to reflect the “reason for the season” but do they?

Probably my least favorite thing is blow up decorations and we seem to be polluted with them around here. I have seen blow up Santas, blow up globes with carolers in them, a blow up Christmas tree with Santa and a reindeer, blow up snowmen, blow up angels, blow up nut crackers, blow up penguins, blow up polar bears, and the worst of the lot; a blow up manger scene complete with the holy family and a shepherd or two. And this list does not count the many blow up decorations I witnessed laying deflated on the ground. In that state they look even more like what I consider them to be: trash that needs to be picked up!

Then there are the wire mesh reindeer and Christmas trees. Why do these things exist? Sometimes they are covered in gaudy blinking lights just to make sure they are noticed. I don’t get it. What is attractive about blow up decorations? Why would you place a wire reindeer in your front yard? In my opinion they look cheap and tacky! I fail to see how they convey the depth and mystery of Christmas.

There are probably few decorations that can actually do that, but some just seem to be more tasteful than others. I hope I have not offended any of you by offering my frank opinion. But we seem to have come a long way from what Christmas is about. The following sermon was given by St John Chrysostom at the feast of the Nativity almost 1600 years ago. He really did grasp the depth of God becoming human. Notice the present tense voice he uses. This eternally relevant event took place in history, but is not just something from the past.
Christ is born! Glorify Him!

I behold a new and wondrous mystery! My ears resound to the shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but loudly chanting a heavenly hymn! The angels sing! The archangels blend their voices in harmony! The cherubim resound their joyful praise! The seraphim exult His glory!

All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth and man in heaven. He who is above now, for our salvation, dwells here below; and we, who were lowly, are exalted by divine mercy. Today Bethlehem resembles heaven, hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices and, in the place of the sun, witnessing the rising of the Sun of Justice!

Ask now how this was accomplished, for where God wills the order of nature is overturned. For He willed, He has the power. He descended. He saved. All things move in obedience to God.

Today, He Who is born. And He Who Is becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man – while not relinquishing the Godhead that is His. And so the kings have come and they have seen the heavenly King that is come upon the earth, did not bring with Him angels, nor archangels, nor thrones, nor dominations, nor powers, nor principalities, but treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb. Yet He has not forsaken His angels, nor left them deprived of His care, nor because of His incarnation has He ceased being God.

And behold the kings have come that they might serve the Leader of the Hosts of Heaven; Women, so that they might adore Him Who was born of a woman so that He might change the pains of child birth to joy; Virgins, to the Son of the Virgin . . .Infants that they might adore Him Who became a little child, so that out of the mouths of infants He might perfect praise; Children, to the Child Who raised up martyrs through the rage of Herod; Men to Him Who became man that He might heal the miseries of His servants; Shepherds to the Good Shepherd Who has laid down His life for His sheep; Priests, to Him Who has become a High Priest according to the order of Melchisidech; Servants to Him Who took upon Himself the form of a servant that He might bless our stewardship with the reward of freedom; Fishermen to the Fisher of humanity; Publicans, to Him Who from among them named a chosen evangelist; Sinful women to Him Who exposed His feel to the tears of the repentant woman; And that I may embrace them all together, all sinners have come, that they might look upon the lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world!

Since, therefore, all rejoice, I too desire to rejoice! I too wish to share the choral dance, to celebrate the festival! But I take my part, not plucking the harp, nor with music of the pipes nor holding the torch, but holding in my arms the cradle of Christ!

For this is all my hope! This is my life! This is my salvation! This is my pipe, my harp! And bearing it I come, having from its power received the gift of speech, I too, with the angels sing: “Glory to God in the Highest,” and with the shepherds: “and on earth peace to men of good will.”

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Christmas

So a funny thing happened on the way to Christmas.

We always like to go out and cut our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. That way we get to enjoy the tree for a whole month. It’s a big family outing. And then we decorate the tree and bring out the old standby ornaments we have had since the kids were just little. It’s a wonderful way to spend the weekend.

Usually my dear wife is the tree chooser. Oh the rest of us act like we have a say, but in reality it is the queen of our household who gives the nod to this or that tree. We start out at the tree farm with all the options. There are big trees, little trees, fat ones, well shaped ones and those that have gaps. They all cost the same so price is not really an issue. But my dear wife has us traipsing hither and yon looking for that perfect sized and full-bodied tree. Often we wind up at the first or second rejected one, because it was “Ok after all.” This year the weather was perfect, not too cold. We were done in about 20 minutes; very little fuss or wasted time. Sue said, “That was too fast. It should have taken longer.” I should have known then that something strange was up.

Then the decorating of the tree went off without a hitch. My wife rarely rants, but I have experienced her completely unglued when strings of lights seemed to have a will of their own, randomly lighting up and going out. Numerous times we have had the tree inexplicably decide to lean off to one side, which made my poor spouse crazy! Other years ornaments fall for no reason, but not this year. This year there was none of that. The new LED lights worked like a charm. The tree seems to be standing at attention. And all the tree ornaments are hanging in there. Why didn’t I take notice?

I managed to purchase my children their gifts a couple of weeks ago. Sue’s gift was purchased last week. Looking back I realize all this was going way too smoothly. Wednesday evening I wrapped Sue’s gift. I do not enjoy wrapping gifts, and I am not that good at it. Somehow the paper always gets bunched up or crooked and looks like a third grader did it. But since it was Sue’s gift I couldn’t very well have her wrap it. So I managed to wrap this rather large box in a way that actually looked Ok. The stripes were running pretty straight, and everything lined up.

I was in the process of bringing her gift down the stairs to the waiting tree. Now the stairs in our home seems to be the repository for just about everything under the sun. At any time one might find homework, coats, socks, books, really just about everything on our stairs. Well my field of vision was full of a freshly wrapped gift and I did not see that about half-way down the stairs was the homework assignment of one of our dear offspring. My foot hit the paper, which decided to act like black ice, and suddenly I was moving down the steps in a far more rapid fashion that I ever anticipated. Well at least a part of me was. While one leg was bumping rapidly down the stairs, my other leg managed to get twisted and wedged at what felt like eight feet in the other direction. After all of me was back together at the bottom of the stairs I was one hurting puppy. And sure enough I am now the proud owner of a fractured fibula. Thankfully it was not a complete break or a displaced fracture.

On another bright note the freshly wrapped gift was intact and not even wrinkled; and our stairs have never looked so empty. My family jumps to serve me at every turn, a reality I am trying to milk for all it’s worth. My neighbor even came over to check on me today while everyone was at work and school. My hunch is that all this service will change in direct proportion to the return of my mobility.

Well next year I am looking forward to at least an hour of looking for just the right tree in a cold wind, preferably one that won’t stand up straight. Hopefully the lights will not work properly. And I won’t buy any Christmas gifts until the week of Christmas. And hopefully next year I will not have any broken bones.

Peace,

Leon