Putting Away Christmas--But Still Celebrating!

It was time to put away Christmas decor for another year--but not time to stop celebrating. 

Not time to stop worshipping the Christ.

Not time to mourn over red and gold ornaments stowed away in bins. 

The angel baby still smiles and sleeps. 

There are new hangings for the wall.

There''s wood to split and work to do and prayers to pray and songs to sing. 

Last week as I sat at the cancer care center watching a worker haul in a huge box in which to pack away the large Christmas tree, I thought about putting away Christmas. 

I am so thankful for the lights of Christmas, because Christmas comes when the days are short and nights are longest. 

We need the lights. 

In our home, I try to redecorate more simply after we lay away the festive decor of this time of year. I choose blues and whites, wintry things, Scripture.

And I choose to look forward, not back. 

We must look forward into January and February and March, toward Valentines Day and spring time and Resurrection Day--and eternity!

Our multi-colored Christmas lights are replaced with the never-ending South Dakota sky colors of sunset, the greens and reds with blues and whites of snow and frost and sky and moon. 

And dark red poinsettias are replaced with pink and white amaryllis--already blooming, 

one blossom after another as each January day dawns. 

***

It's Time to Put Christmas Away

It's time to put Christmas away

With all of the tinsel and toys.

It's time to store baubles and treetops

But not to pack singing and joy.

It's time to sweep needles and pine

And all of December's fine dust,

But the thought of God's Good News remains;

In Him thru this year we will trust. 

The Christmas wrap rests in its bin,

All the lights in the box do belong,

But all year we are happy in Him

And our hearts continue in song. 

The nativity's wrapped in its package,

And angels and wise men are stored,

But love and the whisper of angels

Are still felt from our beautiful Lord.

 by Anna