Here we go, off on the Christmas adventure. I feel like "Christmas" has become sort of a secular holiday. I know many non-believers who celebrate "Christmas". They put up a tree with a star on top, decorate their house with lights, open presents, have a feast, maybe even sing some Christmas carols. I had a boss once who was not a Christian, but sang "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" without missing a beat. Do you even know what that song is about? To me, that would've been like me singing "Hanukkah Blessings", because to me, they aren't just catchy tunes, it's not just a tree with a star on top, they aren't just lights, I'm celebrating the birth of my Savior! I agree with Bill O'Reilly, keep Christ in Christmas. I'm not saying I don't acknowledge that there are other holidays, but don't say you are "going home for Christmas" if you aren't celebrating Christ. Just a disclaimer, I don't have any cited or "reliable" sources for these posts, this is what I have been told at church and by smarter people than me on why we do these things for Christmas.
Since there will be many people decorating their houses with twinkling lights this week preparing for the holidays, here is what I know about why we put these sparkly strands on our houses. At my house we don't put up big displays of snowmen or reindeer, there are no Santa's in our front yard, we do have a Rudolph we put in the window, but everything else is just colored lights, and then a big ole' Merry Christmas lit up on the roof. The lights bring us joy, who doesn't love watching intricate light displays?! But these lights are put up for a much more special reason. They are to light our way home. The picture is a pretty famous house in CO Springs that is about 7 houses down from us. Our street gets packed every year to the point where we can't get out of our driveway some nights. It is an amazing light show, and it fills my heart with happiness every year. It is magical.I had a youth group leader say that these lights are to represent the light of Jesus. The star shown so bright that night to light the way to the new born King. The shepherds and the 3 kings traveled and followed that star to meet Jesus. He is often called "the light of the world", that star was so bright that night that it lit up the sky. So at Christmas, we light up the sky with our lights, because we are honoring the light of our world, our Savior, the birth of our Lord.
I'm not saying if you're not Christian you can't put up lights, of course you can. Twinkling lights are not a religious thing. But that's why I put up my lights, that why we light up our house, we want to celebrate the coming of our King. We want to light the way home. In the darkest blizzard, you can find your way home for Christmas to be with the ones you love, just the way the star lit the way for all to see that Jesus was born.
There is a star that goes up in Castle Rock, CO every year for Christmas. I LOVE when I'm on my way home for Christmas and I see this star. At this point I'm nearing the end of my journey home, and it fills me with so much joy. The first time I see the star each year I am reminded that Christmas is so much more than some amazing family time. My Savior was born this day! My God sent His son, Jesus, to save us all."And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
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