Pine needles still show up in the strangest places reminding me that Christmas is always with us.
As I write this, Christmas is over. The tree has been taken down, the decorations put away and the New Year has been rung in. It’s already February.
It amazes me how back in November, people were putting their trees up even before Thanksgiving, proclaiming it their favorite time of the year. Gorgeous pictures of Christmas trees crowded my Facebook feed. We couldn’t wait to celebrate Christmas. But, by New Year’s everything is put up and packed away, as if it never even happened.
Humanity has always had a super short attention span.
I’ll have to admit, I always take my Christmas tree down before New Year’s Eve. As much as I enjoy the tree, I long for my regular space back. But, this year, we put up a real tree for the first time, instead of the artificial pre-lit deal. It was an experiment of sorts for our family.
All my life, I have heard complaints about real trees shedding and I didn’t really notice much, until we took it down. Even though we swept and vacuumed repeatedly, little green needles continue to show up in the strangest places. I have discovered them in rooms all over the house when the tree was only in the family room. I have even found them on the stairs.
Who knows how they got there?
Interestingly enough, my vacuum cleaner won’t pick them up unless I use the hose. I have to reach down and pick it up myself and every time I find one I feel a nudge reminding me that Christmas is never really over even though the decorations are gone.
The true heart of Christmas is about the birth of a savior and the birth of hope and light for a dark world in deep need of Him. While the gifts have been exchanged and the calendar quickly moves on, the gift of salvation remains. The retailers might be telling us it’s time for Valentine’s day and the radio stations have stopped playing Christmas music, but our souls need to remember that hope and light remain with us everyday, all year long.
That truth alone, is reason to celebrate every single day we wake up. Some stray pine needles reminded me that the meaning of Christmas really doesn’t have a date, even though humanity would like to give it one. It’s much too big and wonderful to be confined to a single day or even a single place. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂