Unpacking Christmas

by Tami Rudkin
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 1:14 PM MST

I always want to take out my Christmas stuff right after Thanksgiving.

It rarely happens.

I look down our dirt road and watch my aunt and uncle’s red and white lights twinkle on just before family arrives for Thanksgiving. Just around the bend, my parents’ lights illuminate the night as well.

Meanwhile, ours are still in the box tucked away in the crawl space under the house.

Eventually, my little family makes that much dreaded expedition down the wooden stairs to retrieve the dozen or so large boxes of Christmas decorations.

However, after the first trip, Tom and I usually set up the tree while the kids exercise their young, strong arms and legs. Admittedly, they carry the majority of the boxes.

We, as a family, spend one night (or one hour) decorating the tree with all of the ornaments we have collected over the years.

With that accomplished, everyone disappears as I stand waist-deep in cardboard boxes trying to decide what to do with all of the Santas, candles and Snow Village houses.

It remains in such chaos for days.

As I write, my living room looks like the epicenter of a natural disaster area. Boxes are precariously stacked four high. The houses are lit in one “neighborhood” in the dining area. The tree is trimmed, and I finally found the skirt … so she’s dressed too.

I have the advent candles on the table, and the three-foot Santa and Mrs. Claus stand at the top of the stairs to welcome those who will visit this season.

The rustic stable strewn with straw is in its place on the hutch. But the customary nativity characters are not in position yet. Traditionally, each of the kids unpacks one of the various characters each night leading up to Christmas.

A shepherd may arrive one day and then a wise man the next. It’s rather random. Even Mary and Joseph show up at different times. But, Baby Jesus always arrives on Christmas.

Sadly, the scene is empty right now, and it’s a rather desolate sight.

As I stood today looking at the bare stable, I began to wonder how many people in our world celebrate Christmas, but never unpack the baby Jesus and put him in his proper place.

After all, we aren’t singing “Happy Birthday” to Frosty the Snowman or bowing a knee to Santa Claus.

Let’s unpack Christmas with care this year.

This year as we unpack lights and hang them on the tree, let’s do it in honor of him who is the light of the world. He is the one who stepped into the darkness of a world in chaos and calmed the hearts of those who would choose to believe.

As we unpack village houses or nativity sets, let’s recite what The Message translation says about Jesus, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes …”

As we unpack the Santas, let’s remember that every gift we give this season is because God gifted us first. He gave us his son.

As we unpack gift wrap, bows and name tags, let’s pause to whisper a prayer to the God who shrugged off the glory of heaven to pull on the frailty of human flesh. He did so to wrap me, and you, in his tender love.

Maybe you’ve already unpacked all of your Christmas things, but have you unpacked the Savior? Is he at the center of all you will do this season?

Will he not only take his place in the manger, but will he have a place in your heart?

(Larry and Linda Kloster sponsor this column.)

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