Most of us, full of Thanksgiving turkey, football, family fun (if you have a healthy family) or family angst (if yours is more dysfunctional) are ready to glide into the Christmas season like Santa on a sleigh filled with toys.
We’re also ready to ask the crucial questions of the season:
- Is it really “Christian” to say “Happy Holidays”? Is “Merry Christmas” in the Bible?
- Is Santa a bad idea and what about that pesky new interloper, “Elf on the Shelf”? What’s a parent to do?
- What’s the best way to manage the animals in a live nativity? (wrangling a camel is no small feat)
- And along those same lines, is it appropriate to approach a pregnant woman in October or November and call dibs on her baby for the creche?
- What’s the proper etiquette for Christmas Eve candle lighting? Who tips and who holds their candle upright so there is no wax leakage or hair flameouts?
- Is it legal to roll out ready-made Pilsbury sugar cookie dough for cutouts and pass them off as homemade?
I was thinking about this this morning as I was making my 18-foot long “to do” list. I love to do lists! I love EVERYTHING about Christmas! But, like I wrote last week, I think that the activity of Christmas can hinder the activity of God in my life. So while the questions above may be critical for some, the one question I want to ask myself daily this Advent season is,
“Will Christmas still come if I don’t do this one thing?”
If I say “no” to this invitation?
If I don’t make this gift?
If I don’t have this new decoration?
If I’m not the one to host?
What’s the one thing it would be a good idea to put on your “don’t do” list this season? Really. I’d love to hear.
I woke up this morning thinking of something John Ortberg once said, “Sometimes sleep is the most spiritual thing you can do.”
