The Gift of Joy

Repost from December 2009

Another glorious wintery Christmasy morning. Those who live in Calgary have been blessed with the most amazing Fairy Winter Wonderland this past weekend. Oh I know there are many who are cursing the snow and the road conditions and the cold and the Christmas rush. They are madly passing each other in the malls with heads down and faces frowned, rudeness intact and totally consumed with everything that they “think” is expected of them and they are completely missing the wonder and beauty of this season we call Christmas. We call it Christmas because Christ is it’s foundation but I am not sure why the rest of the world calls it Christmas because for them it has nothing to do with Christ. Sad really…

As I drove to work this morning I was in awe of the way the snow has adorned the trees in true Aldo accessories fashion. The bling on those trees rivaled anything I have seen in Calgary Jewellers commercials (I say commercials because I have never had any need to cross the threshhold of this particular store). And as I made my way along Elbow drive in the early morning shadows of night, many residents still had their Christmas lights on. This section of town is famous for its historic homes and quaint verandas, fences, gates. The yards are mature enough to have flourishing, tall trees – evergreen and deciduous- all covered with fresh and heavy snow…many with lights gleaming through the branches. What do I care if traffic is slow and mangled – I am sitting inside of my blessed car listening to Michael W. Smith’s new Christmas album and being blessed by the music and words and sipping once again, on my Grande ExtraHot Soy Tazo Chai. I have the heat pumping into the cozy cavern and there are cinnamon scented pinecones underneath my seat…and when the heat saturates them the aroma fills the air (much superior to those silly little pine scented mirror trees that smell like a camp washroom that has just been cleaned with pinesol). I don’t care how long it takes to get to work…I will get there. If I am late I’ll make up for it on my noon hour – it will have been worth the drive. As I drive I think about the fact that my son is coming home from university tomorrow. I think about the dinner we are hosting for dear friends that are going away for Christmas. I think about another set of new friends we are meeting for breakfast on the weekend. I think of my husbands two office parties we will be attending and the Christmas music concert I will go to on the weekend and I am excited. I think about the goodness of God and His provision and protection and everything else seems secondary to this. This is how I enjoy the season. It is two weeks before Christmas and this is truly the best part of Christmas – the before. Don’t let it rush past unnoticed and unenjoyed and before you can say HO HO HO it’s Boxing Day madness and you have missed all the magic. The magic is not found in shopping malls (unless of course you just casually saunter down the halls enjoying the decorations and music with no particular panic or turmoil going on inside as I like to do) and in spending money that you are not sure where you are going to get. The magic is not found in honking your horn at the car in front of you in the parking lot so you can get to the next overcrowded part of the parking lot faster so you can honk at someone else who happens to be patiently waiting for a parking stall. The magic is not found in eating food high in calories and toxins and in such great abundance that you become extremely uncomfortable and sick. The magic is not found in staying up all night trying to outdo Martha Stewart and lowering your resistance to viruses in the air and becoming sick (Been there – done that. I speak from experience). Enjoy the magic..of God’s bounty, His nature and the relationships He has forged for you. Bless someone else this season and really understand and enjoy the magic. Make your goal not to buy the ultimate gift – the most creative, most expensive, most rare. Bless someone instead and give yourself the gift of joy.