A Simple Christmas
I love the idea of simple. I love it so much that 8 years ago, I started an organizing blog called, “Organizing Life With Less.” I ran with the idea and even though it took off, it had become something not-so-simple. The requests for sponsored posts and advertisements were sending me into an un-simple life and one that was all about the gain. Oye.
I had to redefine what simple looked like. And to be quite frank, my most simplest of times have occurred when I didn’t choose it. Especially Christmas. The Christmas after my open heart surgeries we didn’t do much, except cherish each breath and each day. Then there was last year. We were recovering from covid and never saw that one coming. Boom, three weeks in quarantine. We had nothing but time to play games, time to drive around and look at Christmas lights, time to take walks, and time to be together. A simple Christmas.
What we often forget is that the first Christmas, was well, rather simple. It was strictly focused on the birth of our Savior. The whole meaning of this holiday! But over the years, our culture has intertwined activities, must-dos, must-haves, all to make Christmas “better”. Though, what is better than celebrating and going back to what Christmas is truly all about? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to decorate for Christmas. I enjoy our town’s activities, buying gifts, and listening to Christmas music. In those things, if I start to lose sight of what Christmas is all about, I have to rethink why I am doing it.
It’s okay if your Christmas is simple too. Don’t let Pinterest tell you otherwise! Everything Jesus did was simple. His ministry was simple. He didn’t need the latest and greatest to reach the masses. He simply extended a hand of love and truth. He didn’t need a Pinterest-worthy house to minister in. He simply walked down the road or walked on water for that matter. What He simply used was His voice and who God created Him to be and do.
That first Christmas was simple and if that is our goal as Christians, to remember what we are truly celebrating, may we remind ourselves that it’s okay if our Christmas is simple too.