Have you noticed that the Christmas season begins earlier every year? It seems that Christmas items compete with Halloween decorations on the store shelves and Thanksgiving is often sandwiched in between, nearly overlooked and losing it's place as a very special day in its own right. Before the Thanksgiving dishes were even done the stores were filling up with early "Black Friday" shoppers. I must admit that although I didn't join that crowd I did settle back on the couch (after the dishes were done) and did nearly all of my Christmas shopping online.
And, yes, we all know it's marketing .. the Christmas shopping season is where retailers make the most money so it only stands to reason that the earlier those sales begin the more lucrative it is for business owners.
But let's set all that aside for a minute.
My friends and family know I can celebrate Christmas all year long. I can barely contain my enthusiasm until the kids start school in the fall. But on the first day of school ... all bets are off! So often I hear it said we should hold off all things Christmas at least until after the Thanksgiving leftovers have been fed to the dog. But I have no trouble incorporating my love for Christmas into my Thanksgiving holiday. My tree usually goes up the day after Thanksgiving but this year I had grandkids here so they helped me get it set up the day before. My living room had a beautifully decorated Christmas tree surrounded by baskets of fall florals, pumpkins and plaques bearing Thanksgiving blessings. And now it's officially the Christmas season and my halls are decked. But amidst the groupings of angels and holly, a stray yellow or gold leaf can be found, or that stack of leftover Thanksgiving napkins and paper dessert plates we're trying to use up. And that's okay with me.
We've just spent last weekend being thankful for the many gifts and blessings God has bestowed on us ... what do we have to be more thankful for than the greatest gift of all ... God's precious Son. The gifts of grace, mercy and salvation. God's promise of peace on earth, good will toward men. If we truly believe that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" then I believe it's okay to let our thankfulness flow into and blend with our Christmas spirit ... singing Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
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