Wayward ornament
Every year, a week or so after Christmas, I find a wayward ornament. The one that missed the clean-up day when all the Christmas decorations were supposed to find their off-season homes, snug in storage for another year.
What do I do with this?
The first glimpse brings laughter, ha ha, found one, usually on a bookshelf or in some other nook or cranny away from where the tree had once stood. My next thought is generally, oh, now what do I do with this? The boxes are already packed away for next year.
I realize I can’t put it neatly away into the box it belongs in.
Pack it up
That’s bad, right? Or is it? Do we enter into the holiday season, celebrate in a flurry, only to pack it all up, good feelings and all, once the day has come and gone?
Do I put Jesus in a box?
This had me thinking, do I put Jesus in a box the rest of the year? Does He arrive with the season of excitement and glitz, the time of intentional Christ following, only to disappear and get packed away after the grand celebration of His birth?
Reminder of the gift
What if Christmas is meant to be the initial reminder of the gift of His Presence in my life and the beginning of the birth of a new season of intentional time spent with Him? Can we hold onto a reminder of the season? A reminder of the miracle of Jesus coming to earth as a baby for us?
An opportunity
What if that wayward ornament is not a symbol of my inattentiveness, but rather an opportunity, a glorious reminder that even in the off-season Jesus is still in season, an ever present gift and presence reminding me of all that’s good, precious, and important in life?
Rediscover the joy
What if that lost, but now found ornament helps me find and rediscover the comfort and joy I can experience year-round, the place where all is calm.
Find your way
The wayward ornament is a symbol of the season and a reminder of the gift.
May you find your way back to the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
Funny I would read this today since I just found my own wayward ornament of the year. Thank you for the fresh perspective on what I would have otherwise deemed my inattention to detail. I think this wayward ornament now deserves a prominent spot on my fireplace mantel until next Christmas. Then maybe it will trade places with a new reminder of Christ’s presence for next year. 🙂
What a lovely reminder, Alice! What fun timing! Thank you for your timely thoughts! 🙂
I am about to pack up my Christmas decorations. This made me want to intentionally leave one out💝
I LOVED this Susan!
What a fun idea, Jennifer! A perpetual reminder of the precious gift of Jesus. Thank you for your thoughts!