A Less Is More Christmas

For various reasons, this ended up being a very scaled down Christmas for our family. My CPAP machine started malfunctioning in September, and since it's been an ordeal getting insurance approval for a new one, I have been getting less oxygen and less sleep, so I have been less excited than usual about the Christmas season. Our annual church Christmas party for the elders and pastoral staff was cancelled due to our hostess being ill, so we didn't go to any Christmas parties. We wanted to go see the amazing display of Christmas lights at Descanso Gardens, but they were sold out, so we instead drove the kids around the neighborhood one night to see what the locals had put up. We decided to be very sparing with the presents this year, and mine were both replacements for things that are wearing out (my Kindle and my digital camera), so there wasn't much of a surprise for me. The kids each got a stocking with an assortment of gifts, but still not a ton of stuff. Even when we heard the sirens going, usually a signal that the fire department is making rounds of the city to deliver a bag of nuts and fruit to each family, we went outside to find a police car and a single flatbed truck with Santa on it, and volunteers from the University of La Verne handing out the gifts. So that was definitely the "less" part of the season for us. But wait, there's more!

The more was going to "Journey to Bethlehem" at Purpose Church in Pomona and seeing what life might have been like for Mary and Joseph as they entered the town and prepared for the birth of their blessed Son. The kids also got more enjoyment over the three Christmas CDs I played in the car this year, with Pentatonix' "Hark! the Herald Angels" and "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" being favorites, and Jordan's Smith's rendition of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" coming in a close second. And I loved discovering TobyMac's rocking version of the First Noel! Our church's Eve Before Christmas Eve service was a true blessing, with fellowship, good food, the singing of some familiar carols, and a thought-provoking meditation from our youth pastor and one of the young adults. Another thing that brought me more joy was passing along the baton of reading the Christmas story from Luke 2, to my youngest child, Oliver. His rendition wasn't perfect (how do you pronounce Quirinius anyway?), but my heart swelled to hear the familiar words read in his sweet voice. And despite the scarcity of presents under the tree, the kids all seemed much more content with what they received. Even my sarcastic teenager Elliot was more focused on enjoying what he and his siblings received than on making unkind cracks to the other kids. So while Christmas may have seemed less in so many ways, it truly was a "more" type of Christmas in all the things that count: family, love, and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Here's praying your Christmas is blessed and you are able to spend time with family or other loved ones, and that you celebrate what really makes Christmas more this year!

Merry Christmas!