'Tis the Season

Its that time again! Time for the obligatory Advent post! No seriously folks, I have some things I have been pondering this Advent so far and wanted to share.  I have been pondering Christmas Decorations. The outside ones.  No no no, wait, I know what you're thinking, Gee Laura, that's really profound..NOT!  Just hear me out.

For me, its all about context.  You can argue over whether or not Santa comes to your house, Baby Jesus leaves presents, or the Three Wise men bring three gifts and leave them under your tree, the point is that we give, we take joy in giving, and we receive joyfully.  In the right context this teaches us about God's Love for us - He freely gave us His only Son, and He chose to do so in a very human, intimate way.  Presents under the tree remind us that God's gift to us was free and mysterious, wonderful, anticipated, and yet a surprise.  The evergreen of the Tree symbolizes the never-endingness of God and His Love.  Advent decorations remind us of this special time of year and they help us wait with anticipation - just as the children of Israel did long ago.

Outside, traditionally, lights and ornaments literally "lit the way" for the Christ Child.  Outdoors the flickering candles gave way to colored lights and pretty white lights, but the concept of lighting the way for the Child Jesus to come to your home on Christmas remained.  Now, though....

Can anyone tell me what the heck an inflatable Santa in a BATHTUB has to do with ANYTHING?  I mean seriously, a bathtub.  On your front lawn.  With a presumably naked Santa sits. Happily. How in the world is that even Christmas-related!?  When did bathing on the front lawn cease to be creepy?  Especially in 30 degree weather? Especially for old, bearded men?  My friends, we have come a long way from lighting the way and waiting for Christ's birth.  For that matter, what does Santa opening the door of a trailer have to do with Christmas?  What about Hunting Santa - complete with shot gun and camp print suit?  (Yes this is another inflatable decoration I have seen with my own eyes!)  Did the designer forget that Santa owns...wait for it...REINDEER?  What did he do this year? Go all sportsman and shoot Rudolph?  If we put that thing in our yard my kids would be grief stricken - Santa with his own reindeer in his sights.   And don't even get me started on Outhouse Santa...(yep saw that one too.) What has this to do with Christmas!?

Courtesy of Lowes.com

Nothing. It has nothing to do with Christmas.  Its a gimmick, a marketing ploy, a funny (and tacky) lawn ornament that holds little meaning other than it may get a good laugh from childless neighbors.
It is a symptom of a dumbing down of Christmas.  A move to replace what Christmas is really about with commercialism, adult humor, and secularism.  I mean why put up an outdoor Nativity when you can have Santa in a bathtub, a giraffe wearing a Santa hat, and light up palm trees instead!  All while your house blinks in every color of the spectrum to loud rock music! Now THAT'S Christmasee.

I'm not down on Christmas lights or decorations. Don't get me wrong.  We have one of our trees outside wrapped in colored lights and some lights in the windows.  Decorations, twinkling lights, they add to the mysterious wonder of Christmastime.  This isn't bad.  The wonder, the "magic" of Christmas helps us to somehow grasp the wonder and mystery of God-made-man.  Its why I encourage our children to experience the wonder and joy and "magicalness" of the season.  Someday they will be better able to grasp God's majesty, mystery and awesomeness because I have let them have a taste of it in a way they can grasp.  But garish blow up lawn ornaments and lights blinking so fast they cause passing motorists seizures isn't part of the program.  No thanks.  I'll keep our Christmas in context.  After all, if it doesn't somehow point back to Christ's Birth, and God's amazing and Mysterious Love for us, what is the point of it all anyway?

And that my friends, is my Advent Rant!

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!

Waiting and Hoping

I'm sitting here with a jumble of thoughts.  Its been a while since I have been able to post and I am happy to do so once again.  Really there are so many things that I could talk about but I think for now I will settle on my Advent Musings, as Christmas is a few days away and I have much on my heart and mind.

Since my last post this summer a lot has happened.  I started working for  Presidential Campaign, ended up working for a different one, got pregnant, delivered a tiny baby boy after he had ceased to have a heartbeat at 13 weeks, suffered very serious complications, faced death no less than three times in 10 days, and discovered how truly blessed I am.

Sure we are still broke, we are constantly too low on fire wood to heat the house, and I am still recovering and this is going to be our leanest Christmas yet, but I know I am blessed, and I need to count those blessings. 



This last week of Advent has seemed purely purgatorial for so many people who are dear to me.  I am not exaggerating!!  Its as if God decided to allow an awful lot of suffering before He brings His Peace and Mercy and Christmas. 

This makes me ponder what it must have been like to have lived before the first Christmas.  What must it have been like to have been waiting for a Savior and not know when He would come?  What must it have been like to have been in captivity, in slavery, wandering a desert, living under a brutal king, all the while WAITING for the One who was to come?

How lucky we are that we KNOW there is a Christmas.  We KNOW that our Savior came, and that He comes anew at Christmas time.  What Hope we have because of this knowledge, and how blessed that we can have that Hope.  A secure Hope. 

Isn't that what Christmas is about?  Hope.  Real hope.  A tiny baby came to save us all.  God loved us so much that He allowed Himself to become man, and God the Father gave us His only Son, knowing He would suffer.  For us.  That is the truest form of love there is. The Love of God for His Son and for us - His children.  That should give us enormous Hope for whatever we are facing - and I know so many are facing so much. 

This end of Advent leaves me waiting for good news from several hospitals where family and friends are spending the Holiday this year.  It leaves me hoping doctors appointments, breathing treatments, and surgeries are successful.  It leaves me waiting.  And hoping.  And knowing that on Sunday we will celebrate the reality that Christ came.  He came whether we were ready or not.  He came in the middle of every day life.  He came quietly and changed the world.  He came for you and for me.  And He will never abandon us.

So this last week of Advent I anticipate and I wait and I Hope.  Really, when you think about it, that just about sums up Advent.

Merry Christmas, everyone.