The Wading Pool

Last night, we got to do one of my little family’s Christmas traditions.  It’s a small thing, but one that we all really enjoy. My wife always gets our kids a new set of pajamas for Christmas, and we let them open them early.  They put ’em on, we load up in the car, and we go drive around to look at all the Christmas lights.

Last night was the first time that all 5 of us had been together in a few days.  My wife and eldest had been down for the count with the flu, and my youngest two had been at their grandparents for the weekend (with the two-fold purpose of letting my bride rest, and keeping the young ones from getting sick).  So it was great just to have them all together and get to spend some time with them.

As we drove around to see the lights, I found myself wowed by some of the modern displays…you know the ones that are set to timers and “dance” to the music.  Very cool, indeed.  The kids loved that.  Some houses were very “Griswold”-esque in their coverage of lights.  Other’s were more subtle…more simple…but all of them were great.

However, I realized after a while that the ones I liked the most were the ones that somehow, somewhere, incorporated a Nativity scene.  When you’ve seen house after house of Rudolph and Santa and candy-canes and dancing lights, the simplicity of the Nativity scene really stands out…

It was a reminder to me to not forget what it’s all about, you know?  Because it’s easy to do that.  It’s easy to get caught up in the lights, the gifts, the hectic pace of the season and find yourself surrounded by a mound of wrapping paper and boxes, thinking “something’s wrong with this.”

And I’m a Christian.

There’s a reason we decorate.  There’s a reason we give gifts.  There’s a reason we hang lights by the thousands.  Because just of 2000 years ago, “the true Light which gives light to every man” came into the world (John 1:9).  2000 years ago, “in the fullness of time”, God the Son stepped out of eternity and down into humanity, taking on flesh in the form of a baby, born of a virgin, and was laid in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Have we any room for Him as we celebrate this year?  Make room.  Make sure you see the Light.