Christmas Chaos

For me, Christmas has always meant chaos. It's always meant an exiting blur of wrapping paper, scribbled greeting cards, seasonal colours, parties, food, lights, decorted trees, and anticipation. It's always been that for me; looking back on all the Christmases that I can remember is like staring at a shifting and blurred mass of colour. As I look, memories emerge to clarity for a few moments beore blending smoothly into history once again.

Now, part of the holiday season that I love so much is the fast pace and near hectic schedule that I find myself self entrenched in every year without fail: it's become part of the season for me. And I also know that every year without fail, I'm going to hear some one 'soap-box' themselves to death campaigning against this. Whether it's via a blog, radio commercial, or a sermon, I'm confident that I will run across someone who declares brashly that we need to stop our busyness because the season is becoming too crammed with 'stuff' that we're forgetting (how I detest this phrase) 'the 'reason for the season''... I hate when people say that the seasonal mess of Christmas lights and good and presents distracts us from Jesus!

I LIKE the hecticness of my festivities!! I really honestly like the rushing from party to party. I sort of enjoy (in a sadistic and slightly masochistic way) tearing my hair out buying presents for Jeremy or Nathan - or Trevor, who is ridiculously difficult to buy for. Honestly, I feel that the craziness of my days leading up to Christmas actually props the significance of that Day up higher than it would have been otherwise.

You see, the busyness of my holidays comes to a screeching halt on Christmas Day; that day, December 25, stands out from all the rest. Amid the scrambling chaos, I kneel and allow the Star of Heaven to illuminate the focal point of my Christmas. It is in the midst of the busy Christmas - New Year's season that I understand most clearly and truly and deeply who the Prince of Peace is.