Christmas 2023 is history, and now, how long will we keep those decorations up? Some abide by the tradition of displaying them until January 5th or 6th. Not at my house. Christmas decorations don’t survive more than a few days after the 25th when Lori directs me to assist her in storing them. And I dutifully obey.
On the other hand, our son, David Jr., has strongly advocated an extended stay for Christmas decorations since he was a child.
I heard him lament this Christmas: “I wish I’d kept that nativity scene.”
He was referring to the nativity scene we’d had in our family when he was a kid, one of those outdoor ones, complete with bright lights illuminating the front yard.
Our nativity scene’s demise wasn’t his fault. After our kids had left home, I conveniently forgot the tradition of lighting the nativity scene. It may be because I am a mechanical liability; beyond the simple task of changing a light bulb, I can be dangerous when it comes to anything electrical. I’ve got some Clark Griswold in me, the character Chevy Chase played in Christmas Vacation. Remember how he got his 25,000 lights turned on only to compromise the city’s electrical power?
And so, years ago, I thought it best to relegate the nativity scene to a dark corner of the garage.
Then, one Christmas, when David was home for the holidays, he resurrected the nativity scene. He went to the hardware store for floodlights, got a timer for them, and even attached a wire to hang the wreath. A few hours later, he had revived our nativity scene.
We all stood outside and enjoyed David’s lights and the depiction of Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, the camels, sheep, shepherds, and wise men.
After that, I’m not sure when it happened, but the nativity scene retreated to the garage.
Until last year, when Lori and I (full disclosure, mainly Lori) did some serious house cleaning, “Do you want the nativity scene?” we asked David.
“No,” he responded. We understood. The years in storage had damaged it, and it would have been difficult for David to transport and restore it. And so, we tossed the nativity scene into the purge pile.
But then, David missed it this Christmas and regretted letting us give it the heave-ho.
I felt for him—the feelings associated with certain material items hurt when we bid farewell to them, even if it’s not until later. The old nativity scene had brought warm Christmas memories back to David. And then it was gone.
But something deeper may be going on, something more than even staving off the winter doldrums with festive light. I don’t want to go all Sigmund Freud on us here, but maybe our Christmas-loving son subconsciously desires Christmas light throughout the year, not just in December. And here’s the good news: he (and we) can let it shine, even after all the Christmas lights are stored or have rotted away. We have a burning light that can shine brightly, even in the world’s darkest corners. The light that Jesus left us shines after Christmas, every day, and everywhere we are, for we carry it, this light of Christ.
We are personalized Christmas lights, letting our good works give glory to God in the highest. And we keep the lights on, shining, awaiting the return of our Lord.
In one of his sermons, Bob Russell tells about a house in their neighborhood that, years ago, during the war in Vietnam, kept the lights burning long after Christmas. Russell was irritated at this family’s apparent neglect. Then, about the middle of March, he read a sign in their front yard explaining why they left the lights on. The sign read, “Welcome Home, Jimmy.” Russell learned the family had a son in Vietnam, and they left their Christmas lights on in anticipation of his return.
And so, David (and all of us) keep the lights burning.
If not in our front yards with a nativity scene, at least in our hearts.
In so doing, glorify God and anticipate His return, for letting the lights shine is right and good, as, in jubilation, we proclaim:
“Welcome, Jesus.”
You can contact Dr. David Whitlock at drdavid@davidwhitlock.org