All the Christmas cakes and pies are eaten and only one lone sugar cookie lingers behind like stale regret. The Christmas decorations no longer sparkle having morphed into an ominous warning of work to be done. The family that gathered has scattered again and—for many—the season reminds us of why scattered isn’t so bad. The feeling of blah is in the air.
Christmas for my family is a lot like the game Dirty Santa. The good gift—the one you want—is snatched away and replaced by something wonky, unexpected, and unwanted. Once in a while you get to keep the good gift, but usually after athletically wrestling it away from a ‘former’ friend. I’m joking, though Christmas does tend to be a mixed bag for many of us.
The best part of Christmas for Sam and me is our annual Christmas dinner with our most loved friends. This year one couple stayed after the hugs and leftover food containers were distributed, the goodbyes and merry Christmases said, the door closed on noisy exits. They settled in for cozy conversation, soaking in the peace, telling us that this dinner was their true Christmas. The rest of their holiday consisted almost entirely of uncomfortable visits to demanding aging parents. Something to be endured.
I’d invited the Lord to come to our Christmas dinner since it was—after all—in His honor. Whenever I intentionally invite Him to our gatherings, He always adds something special to the atmosphere. This year He gifted us with deep healing peace. We laughed together, sharing stories and food, but over it all was the peace that passes all understanding. Perhaps He intended His gift of peace to strengthen us so that we could endure with grace the ups and downs of this season. Perhaps that healing peace was His Christmas hug to comfort us as we stumbled out the door to visit our cranky, impossible-to-please relatives, a gentle reminder that the Christmas fairy tale hyped in movies and on social media is just that—a fairy tale.
And maybe some people have the fairy tale. I hope they do. But for the rest of us who struggle through the Christmas season like unwilling participants in a Dirty Santa game, we have the One who can never be torn away, who fills us with joy and hope and who wipes away our every tear.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
May God bless and keep you,
Susan
