This past week, Joanna and I set out to decorate the tree and get into the Christmas spirit. Well, let me tell you, that was harder than it looked! Our adventures started Tuesday evening when we decided that after a week and a half of having the tree, we really should decorate it. So we scoured the house looking for decorations, which were deep in hiding from last year. Having finally found a box (or more accurately a suitcase) containing some of the decorations, I discovered that we had one set of lights, and the cross-stitch nativity my mom had made smelled like mold. You see, it had been stored in the basement, and this summer the basement was damp a lot and so now lots of things smell like mold that have been in the basement. So we forge ahead and decide that we should decorate the tree the following evening.
Well, little did we know how the evening was going to progress! Here's how it went:
1) we get home, it's been a long day for both of us.
2) we decide to go ahead and put lights on the tree
3) we discover that one strand of lights is not enough for our fat, 5-6' foot tree
4) we try to play Christmas music - my CD player won't recognize the CD
5) Joanna: did you get cranberries to string yet? Kelly: Um, did you get cranberries to string, because I haven't!
6) Joanna: For heaven's sake - this is pathetic! Let's just go to K-mart and Weis and get lights and cranberries!
7) Kelly: Sounds good to me! And while we're at it, we should get some good Riesling too.
8) K-mart - doesn't have white lights, much less anything smaller than about 700 lights or icicle nets
9) Weis - only has colored lights, and we can't find the cranberries. The barely out of high school customer service manager is a boy, and suggest that since they don't have fresh cranberries, we should try canned. (Boys!)
10) Having finally located the fresh cranberries, we decide on the low-cost alternative to Riesling, sparkling grape juice. Besides, it's a worknight, so drowning our Christmas cheer in grape juice is probably a safer bet.
11) We get home and string cranberries. Did I mention we have a FAT 5'-6' tree? Yup, one bag of cranberries isn't going to cut it.
12) We finally scrape up enough decorations for the tree and we're all set. Yay!
13) we decide to celebrate by breaking out our sparkling grape juice - hooray! And we promptly gag on the juice, which smells and tastes like it's been sitting in the hot, humid basement for months!
BAH HUMBUG!
So after all of our Christmas adventures, let's just say I wasn't feeling much in the spirit of Christmas. But then this week, God has been reminding me what Christmas is all about. Hearing all the Christmas music and having those songs in my head are great for focusing me back to the reason for the season. And we went to see the Nativity Story. And you know what? I bet that first nativity scene was pretty moldy and smelly. And their plans didn't go as planned, and I bet they weren't in the Christmas spirit looking for room in an inn and not finding any. And talk about humble circumstances without any decoration! But in that place, that tangled mess of broken lights and moldy nativities and dried up cranberries, God's plan shone through. And nothing could stop the Saviour from being born.
What Child Is This
Written by William Chatterton Dix
What child is this who laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping
This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring him laud
The babe, the son of Mary
Why lies he in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding
Good Christian fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading
So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh
Come peasant king to own Him
The King of kings, salvation brings
Let loving hearts enthrone Him
This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring him laud
The babe, the son of Mary
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