Christmas 2002

Originally Posted December 22, 2002

You know, when I was a kid Christmas meant something very different than it does now. I'm sure that most adults would concur that it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to get things done around the holiday season. There's shopping and all of the hassles that come with a trip to the mall. There's the pressures of trying to get Christmas cards (or cd's) out to friends and family in time. There's the cleaning of houses and cooking of sweets and meals in preparation for a visit from family. And all of this without the two weeks off that we used to get. So it can be easy to lose sight of the holidays.

So now on my thirty-second Christmas I feel almost like a child again. And it's the weirdest thing. It's strange and new, as if I hadn't experienced any of those previous Christmas' of my youth, yet warm, comfortable, and familar like a grandparent's house. This year I seem to be enjoying the season through my son's eyes. We didn't teach him to say "Christmas tree" he just picked it up. And he loves to look at it all lit up. He'll grab you by the hand and lead you into the room repeating "Kismas Dee! Kismas Dee!" So I find myself standing in front of the tree that took me an hour to get up the stairs from the basement and another two hours to get all the lights working at once. The same tree that I have walked past ten times today without really noticing. And now I'm standing in front of it with him. And I can see it with his eyes. And it is a wonderful thing.

And as I was standing there with my son looking at this beautiful thing all aglow, I started remembering what Christmas is supposed to be about. This story of a child's birth now became something completely different. I was now seeing that night in the manger from a father's perspective. Joseph was faced with a long journey, a pregnant wife, and no place to stay. And after all of these hardships I believe I know exactly what he felt to see that child for the first time. Suddenly all of the hassles of the holidays I had bemoaned seemed not so difficult.

How amazing it is to be able to experience Christmas as a child for the second time, and this time I'm old enough to appreciate what a great gift it is. Because Christmas isn't about the tree. It's about the fact that my son want's to look at the tree with me.