What’s “all about the lights”? If you asked my husband, he would say, “Don’t follow the lights.” A direct quote from Gollum – or Tolkien, if you prefer. But in this instance, I’m definitely following the lights.
Let me begin again…and don’t get too tired reading about all this stuff we put ourselves through. There’s a point at the end, lol. It is the eve before Christmas Eve, after all.
There have been years when, about half of the way through the Christmas preparations, I think to myself, “Why do we do this to ourselves? We should get rid of all these time-consuming, expensive, work-inducing holidays. What’s the point, anyway? By the time Christmas gets here, were exhausted.” We spend more money than we probably ought to, use up so much of our valuable time cleaning, decorating and cooking when there are so many other things we NEED to do, and we eat until we’re sick or diabetic…is there anyone else who has felt this way one year or another – or every year? Bah, humbug. (Yes, Miss Sunshines all over the planet have Scrooge moments once in a while.)
The battles – I mean, preparations – begin at least a month earlier. Or all year long if you start buying presents or decorations right after Christmas, because it can be key checking out those after-Christmas sales. So, the preparations begin with buying and baking and decorating.
Presents…presents for loved ones, friends, coworkers, maybe even a few strangers (holiday trees for folks having a bad year financially). And what do you buy these people? Sometimes you get lucky and notice something that someone needs or likes when you visit them…but what about the rest? What on earth do you buy people who are blessed materially? Or who you don’t know very well? Gag gifts are not always the answer. Homemade cookies? Is there time to make them and is it worth the effort or will they think it’s a stupid gift? A personal, favorite family photo? What about the teenagers in your life – or older grade schoolers for that matter – when most of the things they want are tech stuff and cost a fortune and only Santa can afford them (we hope)? And we so want our gifts to be either helpful to the receiver or meaningful! Some of us get pretty stressed out trying to get the perfect gifts. Along with all the rest of the responsibilities we dump on ourselves during this season. Are you tired yet just thinking about it? Just wait until the next two paragraphs!
I’m jumping ahead a little because I must make my point at the end. The next topic often starts and ends the process (not counting all the pre and after party cleaning and of course the ENTIRE house must be cleaned. But we don’t want to talk about cleaning), so the next topic is the food. Lots of the sweets can be baked or cooked and frozen ahead of time. Fudge, a variety of cookies, candies, cakes, breakfast sweet breads, etc., etc., etc. A few of the main dishes can also be made ahead and frozen. This preparation is very helpful as most of the primary food must be done within twenty-four to forty-eight hours before a party…and how many parties do you cook for? If you weren’t tired at the end of the last paragraph, are you tired now?
If your family is like our families, you decorate the majority of the inside of your house, no matter what size it is. This takes time; sometimes lots of time, depending on how much you do and what you use to decorate. Especially since most of the regular knickknacks that are out the rest of the year have to be boxed up before all the Christmas stuff can come out. You take the regulars off the mantle, you put some Christmas decor in their spot, then you put the regular stuff in the box you took the decorations out of…and repeat about a million times. There are nativities and Santas, angels, trees, wreaths, elves, dwarfs, reindeer, stars, Christmas dishes, snowmen, scads more, and lights, lights, lights and more lights. And you can never stop the curse, I mean, tradition, because when your children become adults, they can’t stand the thought of mom and dad not putting up ALL the decorations. There must be something wrong them (mom & dad, not the decorations) if they don’t!
Of course, it looks fantastic after all that work, and we feel a sense of accomplishment and love to see the lights twinkling at us and the reds and greens and blues and silver and golds splashed all over the house. There’s a warmness about Christmas décor that warms the heart. So now you are done and you can relax…nope. Because you must also decorate the entire front outside of your house as well – and maybe some side yard or back yard or…whatever you do to shine for the neighborhood. Because who doesn’t love to see all the wonderful, colorful lights when we’re out and about?
Okay, so now, the early food is prepped, all the decorations are up, the presents purchased, sorted, wrapped and either under the tree or on their way to their soon-to-be owners, and you are a bit frazzled and tired and possibly pulling your hair out. (If you have kids, you are pulling your hair out.) Well, can you sit down yet? If you managed to do all of this a week or two before the first party, you might be able to. That’s if… We really do just want to sit down and take it all in once it’s all out and up.
That’s why it’s all about the lights, you see. They make us happy. They help us thrive during the shortest days of the year and one of our cloudiest months of winter (remember I live in Michigan). The sun may be hidden more days than not November to January, but December brings the other lights: Christmas lights. We have seldom missed a year when we take a “light tour” and drive around town checking out all the great ways people decorate their houses and yards. And some of us leave ours up after Christmas just a little (or a lot) longer…the lights, the trees, the nativities…after all, the twelve days of Christmas aren’t over until January 6th (Jan. 19th for Eastern churches!), so why not keep them up a little longer? They are food for the soul when the sun is often hidden. They are a reminder of a certain star in the East that led both shepherds and wisemen to the Savior in Bethlehem.
And when we finally put away all that red and green and tinsel finery, we miss the lights and colors, we miss the special ornaments that were grandma’s or aunt somebody’s, we miss driving through town and being met by sparkle after sparkle. And we miss the overall feeling of Christmas. The joy and hope and goodwill that people give throughout the season. The remnants of the reminder of a Savior who slept in a stone manger – the place where the perfect lambs were wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid because it was the safest place for them. Because, in those times, the perfect lambs were set aside as sacrifices for man’s sins. The Perfect Lamb was laid in such a stone manger, being prepared to be the perfect sacrifice for all so that we could know His father’s love. Sometimes there are no words to describe it. Let’s just look at the lights and let them remind us of our one true Light.
Merry Christmas and may you all have a wonderful, blessed new year.
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