The Gift of Yourself

      My time of preparation during Advent, had been a wonderful journey, except for one day as Christmas drew near and I allowed my “to do” list to send me into a panic!

     Realizing this was an attack from the evil one to take away my peace, I took a deep breath, said a prayer and did the next task that needed to be done, and then the next, and the next and the next. Soon, God’s peace returned to me, and I was back on the road to Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph.

      When Christmas Eve arrived, I made sure to take some quiet time to help St. Joseph ready the stable of my heart for the arrival of his Son. I spent time with Mary and did what I could to bring comfort to her before the big event. I journeyed back in my mind to Bethlehem, where I had been blessed to visit last February. I remembered the place of Christ’s birth and the shepherd’s field where the angels announced the glad tidings. It all came back and made it even more special than it had been in the past.

     Even with all the busyness and preparation for our company, my memories of these holy places were vivid and powerful. They are a gift that keeps on giving. These precious thoughts filled me with gratitude to God, for sending His Son Jesus to me, and to my husband, for giving me the special gift of visiting the Holy Land.

    It was now Thursday of Christmas week, and the joy of the Christmas season was still washing over me! The events we hosted for Christmas were now behind us, and we looked forward to being guests with family members at their homes.

     In a quiet moment, I checked my Instagram account, to look at friends and family pictures of their own Christmas celebrations. I came upon a post a young mom had written. In it she was bemoaning the fact that all of her family holidays events were over and although she was glad the hustle and bustle was behind her, she wasn’t quite ready to take down her decorations. She asked her followers when they take theirs down to help her make her decision.

     To my great disappointment, several people replied that they had already taken them down. My heart sank with that thought. After all, the Christmas season had only just begun! We had several weeks to celebrate this great feast. What were they thinking?

     To my great surprise, I could not get this question off my mind. It was like an itch that you think is gone, only to keep coming back to annoy you, again and again.

     “Is this You, Sasha? Do you want me to respond to her question?”

     Since the question would not go away, I knew this was something to which I needed to respond.

     Okay. Here goes: “My Dear Friend, The Christmas season has just begun! In years past, we would keep our decorations up, along with our celebrating, till January 6, the feast of the Epiphany, when the Wise Men visited the Christ Child.

     I still keep them up until then, and sometimes even a little longer, till the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Liturgically, that is when our Christmas season officially ends. So, enjoy! We are still in the midst of the great feast of Christmas – the birthday of the Lord!”

     As I hit send to post my reply, a certain satisfaction filled my heart.

     It makes me feel sad when I see Christmas trees out in the trash a few days after Christmas. Why rush the season? This is the time to savor and cherish it. Savor and cherish Him!

     Take some quiet time to yourself. Picture the stable. Walk in. Look around. What is Mary doing? How about Joseph? Is little Jesus asleep? Is He awake and waiting to be held? Is He crying and needing to be comforted? Are the animals there? How about the shepherds? Have they arrived and left, or have they not gotten there yet? What about the Wise Men? Do you see the gifts that they brought?

     Who do you want to talk to? What questions do you have? Can you be of some help to Jesus, Mary or Joseph? Have you brought a gift? If they could give you a gift, what would you ask for?

     This is a sacred and precious time. Our hearts and souls long for this awesome gift of Love from our Heavenly Father. He gave us the best He had. He gave us His only begotten Son. Let us show our love and appreciation to Papa by taking time out of our busyness and thank Him.  Let us show our gratitude by spending time with our Newborn King throughout this Christmas season!

     We rush around before Christmas day trying to find just the right gift for everyone on our list. There is no one who longs for the gift of our hearts as our sweet Jesus does. Visit with Him in the stable and give Him the gift of yourself.