I have always loved snow. If I had a favorite season, winter could be it because of Christmas and snow. But I like all the seasons and can’t choose one over the other as an overall favorite. Today I’m thinking about winter, snow, and Christmas. Not only the “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” kind of thoughts, although I do hope we have a white Christmas. It won’t make Christmas any better to have snow, it will just make it look prettier outside. Like the picture below, where everything is covered in beautiful white snow. The brown of bare trees and shrubs dressed in a blanket of glistening white transforms the landscape from drab to sparkling.
There are a few bad things about snow, not the least of which is how dangerous it is to drive in or on it, especially if you aren’t used to it. If there’s several inches of snow, it can get blown into drifts that bury the sidewalk, steps, and anything left outside. Also, when it melts it can be a slushy mess that mixes with the road salt and coats your car.
So even though a snowfall makes everything look pretty, and adds a festive touch to Christmas, it has negative effects as well.
The snow-covered Nativity scene below is a good example. A late night snowfall piled up until it completely covered Baby Jesus in this picture:
Before I took this picture I started to brush off the snow from Baby Jesus first. As I considered the scene though, I realized that it has a story of its own just the way it is.
Every year it seems like the Christmas shopping season starts earlier, and the promise of Black Friday sales pushes Thanksgiving aside as shoppers are encouraged to start lining up outside the stores. I’m all for getting bargains, but the frenzy created by some of the sales promotions is making it a dangerous way to try to save a few dollars. And that frenzy officially kicks off the Christmas season.
The time of the year when Christmas cards are sent proclaiming “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men“, and we sing “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie…”, “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright…”, “O hush the noise…” from “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”, and other Christmas hymns and carols about the birth of Christ.
The celebration of that Holy Night when our Savior was born begins with a frenzy of pushing and jostling crowds, as shoppers try to be the first to get to the advertised items.
Even if you stay home on Black Friday, Christmas can easily become a burden with lists of things to buy, things to bake, decorating the tree and the house, cards to send, gifts to wrap, and traditions to maintain. Plus keeping up with all the special parties, events, and programs. All of which are wonderful, and add their own touches to make Christmas special for our family and friends, and hopefully for us, if we aren’t too exhausted to enjoy them!
Like snow for a white Christmas, all the decorations, festive paper, and colorful treats make it look prettier. But it would still be Christmas without all that, or with less of it. Because Christmas is really about Jesus.
So where is Jesus in all the frenzy? Is He buried under a blanket of lists, expectations, and busyness? Has the wonder of Jesus’ birth been smothered by the rush of just getting everything done by December 25th?
This Christmas, hush the noise and hear the angels sing. And remember, Immanuel is God with us. Take time to really see Jesus, and ponder that Holy Night when our Savior was born.
I’m linked up with Jennifer’s blog for God-bumps and God-incidence posts, you can visit her here:
God-bumps and God-incidence
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