A Little More Holiday Spirit

Thanksgiving Break always ends with our annual Taylor Tree Lighting Ceremony.  OK--there's not much of a ceremony, but we put up the Christmas tree then turn off all the lights in the house and bask in the Christmas tree's soft glow.  It officially starts the Christmas season for me, and I love it!

This year putting up the Christmas tree brought more holiday spirit with it than usual.

Josie was full of her normal questions about everything, and one question caught me off guard.  She asked why we didn't have a star on top of our tree like everybody else.  The real answer is that I always had an angel on the top of my Christmas tree as a child, so that's what I looked for when purchasing a tree topper for my family.  But, as I glanced up at the angel and began to answer her, something else came out:  "We have an angel to remind us of the angels that came to announce the birth of the Savior to the shepherds on the very first Christmas."

"Oh!" she said, looking delighted.

I smiled and thought how odd it was that even though it's always my job to place the angel, I hadn't thought of the true meaning of this Christmas symbol in years.  I went on to explain that people put stars on the tree to remind them of the new star that appeared in the sky on the night of Christ's birth.

This little parenting moment, like so many others, had me thinking for days.  It's not that I'd forgotten what we are truly celebrating at Christmastime.  It's just that, for the past few years, all the "commercial stuff" of Christmas seemed completely separate from the true meaning.  Josie reminded me to look at the symbols of Christmas hung all around me and remember the meaning behind the symbol along with all the fun memories of Christmases past.  She reminded me that, even to a little child, the wonder of Christmas isn't about what is under the wrapping paper.  She reminded me that this season of giving places Christ and Santa in our thoughts together and, with a little effort, we can enjoy the wonder of both.

Each day, Josie asks me about hiding places for Christmas presents and vibrates with the excitement of unknown surprises.  Each night, Josie prays that Jesus will have a good birthday this year.  Thank you for these sweet reminders, Josie!