Tangled

A Blog About Christmas by Julia Sifers

Christmastime is here!

Christmas is my favorite—absolute favorite. If I sit down and think about why, my thoughts get all tangled up like last year’s twinkle lights. There’s just so many reasons, and they’re all fantastic! So, as we do with tangled lights, it’s easier to untangle my favorite things one strand at a time.

First tangle: the trees and twinkle lights
I know some people are all about Santas or snowmen, but I’m an evergreen girl. There’s something about the deep lush green illuminated by white snow lights, or boughs covered in colored twinkles like glowing sprinkles. There’s a warmth to the contrast.

 
Next knot: the food and togetherness
Christmas feasts can look like the spread from A Christmas Carol with the Ghost of Christmas Present, but to me it’s a conglomeration of comfort foods (—a tray of Chick-Fil-A nuggets can beat a roasted pig with an apple in its mouth). A feast can be just for one, but it implies a gathering, and that’s another element of Christmas that I utterly adore: togetherness.

It’s loud.
It’s messy.
It’s imperfect.

But there’s good food, cuddling, laughing and so, so much remembering of old times, good times and what we’re thankful for. It’s one thing to get excited about something, but for this extrovert, getting excited with people enhances the thrill, and the togetherness element is no exception at Christmastime.

Another twist in the wrinkles of twinkles: the polar opposites
The Polar Express isn’t the only “polar” part of Christmas. Neither are the dark green branches and the bright white lights. There’s also rest and busy-ness, and elements of depth and shallowness.

Rest is one of my favorites. We have this tradition in my house: when we get home from any errands or out-of-the-house activity, everyone runs upstairs to put on comfy pants. Comfy pants are a great start to rest. Over the holidays, there’s also days off and sleeping in (sometimes) or an occasional nap. And it’s a good thing we can nap, too, because Christmas is a busy time! Parties and shopping and the hustle and bustle—but without those busy moments, the rest would feel pointless, and without the rest, we’d have no energy for last-minute shopping dashes.

We need the polar opposites!

The same is true about those moments of depth and shallowness. I’m all for the real meaning of Christmas. That reason for the season, Jesus’ birth. Advent Season is literally something I look forward to all year, as we remember what Jesus has done for us. All those layers of buildup we feel reading through the years of anticipation in the Old Testament, and now as we wait for His second coming. It’s the best, and nothing can beat it. But I also love the classic claymation movies, and giggling as we blow tinsel on the tree, driving around neighborhoods looking at the light shows on display in people’s yards. None of that really “matters,” but I think it's another essential opposite. It really is good to hold onto depth and a little fun at the same time.

The final tangle in the lights: the traditions.
This is the biggest one, kind of the heart of what makes Christmas my favorite. The combination of how old traditions can be and how customizable they are to each family is incredible. I truly delight in hearing the stories of what families do each year and why. Some families get Christmas PJs, or get dressed up to go to Christmas Eve service, or volunteer at Soup Kitchens, or travel…. The silly and important ways we chose to spend our Christmas are all so different, but they are saturated in meaning.

I love Christmastime, because it reminds me of what matters. Whether you do Christmas with flare, or keep it simple, to quote Dr. Seuss:

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

I hope as you untangle your lights, deck the halls, seek all comfort and joy, that your heart is drawn to the start, the simple, the beauty that was in that first Christmas. That “little bit more” is what it’s all about.

Merry Christmas!