Perhaps the rush to decorate for Christmas is a symptom of our heart’s desire for Jesus.
A friend of mine commented the other night, about how she doesn’t spend that much time on Facebook. But, she said what she had noticed lately, was that every time she logged on, someone was sharing pictures of how they had already decorated for Christmas. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet.
I’ll have to admit that I have noticed the same trend myself. I even heard a dad who was checking his kids out of school one day last week, say that his wife wanted to go ahead and decorate for Christmas this year.
We expect it from retailers. They go straight from Halloween to Christmas. They skip right over Thanksgiving, I suspect, because it doesn’t make them any money. A season where we are supposed to be thankful for what we have is not big boom for business.
But, what’s going on with the American people?
I have given it some thought and I have a theory.
Americans have just lived through a brutal political campaign and a brutal election. There has been lots of division and lots of ugliness and the barbs are still flying across social media. Peace and unity seem nowhere in sight. Perhaps the rush to decorate for Christmas has to do with the peace, joy and love that the holiday represents.
Perhaps that even though we have tried to commercialize and secularize Christmas as much as possible, the baby at the heart of it all, pulls us towards each other, whether we want to admit it or not. Perhaps our hearts and souls know, even if our brains don’t, that the peace that we all are yearning for these days, can only truly come from Jesus, who is the reason for the season.
So, perhaps the rush to decorate, is an effort to usher in the Advent season, where we expectantly await the coming of Christ and all He represents, balm for hurting hearts, rest for weary souls and salvation for all who ask.
As I prepare my own heart and home for this season of Thanksgiving and all that living a life of gratitude represents, I find myself joining in with all of those early decorators if only in spirit. Perhaps you would like to join us.
Oh come, oh come Emmanuel!
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂