When you have kids, a lot of things change. You would think I'd be used to it by now. But, every once in a while, I'm hit with something else that just won't be the way I'd prefer for it to be for a very, very long time.
It occurred to me once again this week, as we began preparing for Christmas . . .
Little pecan tarts, along with other fancy fare, have given way to frosted sugar cookies. We spend much more time now listening to kids' Christmas CDs, watching Frosty the Snowman and singing "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg" than we did in the pre-kid era. But the single facet of Christmas that's taken the biggest hit is the decorations - specifically the tree.
My ideal tree is decorated with white lights, beautiful bows, and yards and yards of homemade cranberry & popcorn garland. Their ideal tree is decked out with multi-colored lights, mis-matched ornaments, and tinsel, and topped with a star that alternately shines blue and green. And the worst part is, it doesn't AT ALL match the deep jewel-tone colors of our tree skirt!!
Then there is the matter of the fat felt stuffed tree with felt velcro-attaching ornaments that sits in their rooms. And the fiber-optic tree in the basement. And the stuffed white teddy bears with Santa hats that I try unsuccessfully to shove back into the box every year.
So - I can view all of this as the garish replacing the elegant, OR . . . . I can view it as fun replacing pristine . . . for now.
The day will come when our tree will once again shine in its perfection of white lights and color-coordinated bows and cranberry garland. But for now I'm going to wholeheartedly enjoy the shining delight on four little faces as they bask in the glow of colored lights and blinking star. And I'm going to remind myself - and them - that after all, the tree that gives us reason to celebrate Christmas was made of two rough beams of wood, and soaked with the blood of God's own Son, so that we can enjoy eternal perfection with HIM - forever.
I guess with that in mind, I can put up with a few colored lights!
3 comments:
I also struggle with wanting the perfect tree decorated MY way. You have inspired me, Charity. I've decided to NOT accidentally "lose" the pile of homemade ornaments that came home from our co-op last week.
We don't put one up anymore - it just isn't any fun without kids around helping and talking about all the ornaments and how they remember when we got them. Danny still turns my holiday wooded letter that spell NOEL into LENO - I have never seen him do it but it only says LENO after you guys have been here. It's not YOU doing it, is it?
You both made me laugh. :) As for the LENO thing . . . how do you know that's not what it's supposed to say?? Maybe you're the one who's had it wrong all these years . . . .
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