Blinded by Glitter

Panic stands behind the Christmas tree, waiting for its chance.

I check my list: Cookies baked. Candy made. Snack mixes assembled and toasted. Menus planned. Groceries bought. Cards sent. Gifts wrapped.

I revel in “doing” Christmas. I love creating once-a-year treats, pulling out faded recipe cards as well as scouring the web and cookbooks for new ideas. (Joanna Gaines’s “Cherry Mashers,” anyone?) I enjoy giving those goodies to friends, neighbors, and those who provide services to us throughout the year. (Mr. Pettit and I do have to test them first, of course.)

And shopping for gifts? Goodness gracious, I do love it. I search for clues in conversations with family members throughout the year, ferreting out information like a spy behind enemy lines. By November (and usually earlier), I’m ready to piece together my intel and search for almost-perfect gifts. (Perfection, I have finally learned, wears you out.)

Decorating involves setting up three trees, three nativity sets, and enough stuffed animals and elves to populate the North Pole.

Mr. Pettit and I have donated a fair amount of holiday decor over the past few years, a process that accelerated last Christmas. I parted with my lighted houses and their tiny occupants some time ago when I realized that setting up that Dickensian village elicited a groan rather than a giggle.

This year we gave away most of the ornaments depicting characters from “Star Trek” and The Wizard of Oz. To be honest, I think the Wicked Witch was starting to freak out my ballerinas.

Last night, I was on the verge of stepping back from Defcon 1 of Holiday Mode when I was seized by the list of all that remained. Pretty touches, like setting out my Christmas serving dishes. Necessary chores, like tidying and cleaning. And one hard thing: writing this column.

I had hoped to offer you a beautiful poem, or at least a fair approximation of one. But no just-right opening line has dropped into my mind on this Christmas Eve.

And yet here I am. Because I feel called to be here with you. dear readers, in the middle of my Christmas whirl.

First, I’ll share these lines of Scripture, my prayer whenever I sit down to write:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
    be acceptable in your sight,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

Amen.

So, here are the words filling my heart at the moment.

If you, like me, are scratching through items on a list, only to add more… If you, like me, long to experience the joy of Christmas yet find yourself becoming preoccupied with trivial things… If you, like me, are already evaluating your Yuletide performance, and giving yourself poor marks…

Let us pray.

Almighty God, only You could have made Christmas. Only You could love like this, to give Your Son, Yourself, for me. The mystery is more than my mind and heart can hold, how Jesus, the Ancient of Days, could be contained in the body of a baby.

And He didn’t visit this world as a tourist, passing through, picking up souvenirs along the way: a lovely piece of cloth, a vase, a feather. No, Jesus became human to fulfill Your plan. To give us a glimpse of Your Glory. To heal. To teach.

To die.

For me.

Holy, holy, holy are You.

You are Beauty.

You are Truth.

You are.

I praise You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Glory, glory, glory to thee. Your Splendor is brighter than a million stars, yet You share Your radiance with Your children, warming us in this cold world, giving us a hope that is beyond us even as it fills us.

Please forgive me when I lose sight of Jesus amid my busy-ness, blinded by glitter. Help me to shine with Your light as I celebrate the arrival of the Light of the World, that others may be drawn to You, forsaking the false gods all around us.

Almighty God, I praise You. I adore You. I offer You all that I am and all that I have. Please continue to work Your purposes out in me, now and in the new year to come.

I ask all of this in the precious name of Jesus.

Amen.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:8-14 (ESV)

Merry Christmas!