The Choice of Christmas

A small coral tinted shell sits on my nightstand surrounded by clutter. Its beauty is out of place among the collecting dust and piles of half read books and water glasses that accumulate.  When darkness falls each night, it glows gently in the soft light of the clock, as though unaffected by time.

I remember the day it found it's home next to my bed.  My oldest daughter is a collector of things, treasures really....rocks tucked in the cracks of sidewalks, a scrap of garbage glittering in the sunlight, a lost coin waiting to be found.  These items fill her room, tucked into nooks and crannies for safe keeping or until they meet their end on cleaning day.

One of her most treasured collection is an assortment of small sea shells given to her as a gift after a trip to the ocean.  She keeps them safely tucked in her Frozen themed jewelry box up high  on a shelf just out of her siblings reach.  A wise girl indeed.   On that fateful day she came down the stairs full of excitement.  She had left a "surprise" to be found in our room and was bursting at the seems to reveal the secret.

She grabbed both of our hands, dragging us up the stairs and into our bedroom.  As our eyes fell on the shell and we mustered up our smiles and thank you's, she began to jump up and down, song spilling out.  Her little heart was full of gladness.  Her joy in that moment, over a small and simple act of generosity, was deep.  

It was an everyday moment that begs to be treasured in a Mother's heart.

That shell has remained on my nightstand, day after day, month after month serving as a constant reminder of childlike joy and simplicity - A thing I tend to push aside but often desperately need, especially in the midst of the Holiday Season.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the pressure and expectations of it all......the gifts, the stockings, the cookie making, the giving, the getting, the tree, the lights, the shopping, the outfits, the family gatherings, the concerts, the list that goes endlessly on.  It's enough to drive a person mad, wishing the season away.   I'll admit,  I have been there more often than not, completely missing the joy and simplicity the message of the season is meant to deliver.  

"Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

The long awaited Savior, my personal savior, arrived.  The course of humanity, the course of my life, was forever changed.

Hope. Joy. Meaning, Purpose. Unconditional Love was all set into motion with the birth of Jesus.  The magnitude of that truth should shake me to my core.  Childlike joy should overflow.

I choose prayer over stress.  

I choose simplicity over activity.  

I choose moments over money.  

I choose celebration over worry.  

This Christmas I choose to approach and celebrate the season differently, that dusty seashell along my bed as a daily reminder. The gifts will still be purchased, the cookies frosted, and the glow of the tree will light our room, but I choose to recognize and rejoice in Jesus, the reason behind it all.

Merry (cheerfully and lively)  

Christmas (celebrate Christ's birth)