Reflections of Hope and Christmas

It’s okay to embrace the mess along with the hope

This is for those of us who love Christmas but our homes may not reflect it the way we want it to.

It’s for those of us who clear off a surface to put out cherished Christmas decorations only to find the space covered up days or even hours after finishing the task.

It’s for those of us who work hard to organize our space, but it feels like a Sisyphean task and like we won’t ever be ready for Christmas. Our Christmas decorations sit in boxes or bins where the tree should go or are set beside the tree so that we have maneuver around them throughout the day. Along with the decorations, they hold our hopes of setting them out and making space for Christmas.

It’s for those of us whose pre-lit tree is up but the lights don’t work and none of your efforts get the lights to work. You’ve been intending to string new strands of lights to create a festive glow, but life keeps happening, and like the unlit lights, your hopes grow dim.

It’s for those of us with grand expectations and high hopes for Advent that are never started, or are started but not done every day. And we chastise ourselves for not being ready enough for Christmas, afraid our lack of decorations or tidiness reflects a lack of Christmas cheer.