It Can Be the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

I love Christmas-time.

Temperatures this weekend reached almost 80 degrees in South Louisiana, but no worries!  I kept the air conditioner rolling, put on my long-sleeved “winter” top, drank hot coffee, and BELIEVED it’s “beginning to look a lot like Christmas” in my world!  I had the honor and privilege of speaking at our church’s women’s ministry Christmas party on Saturday.  Believe me, the only thing saving them from my ugly Christmas sweater WAS the spring-like temperatures!  Loving Christmas is a family affair.  Here’s a picture of Tim and Savannah one Christmas.

Now, when I say, “I love Christmas”, I mean, I LOVE CHRISTMAS!  And, if the truth must be told (and since the truth will set me free), I will tell you the truth. I love a “cheesy” Christmas.  I mean the cheesier … the better.  Pour on the cheese!  (You know, to think about it, I love cheese, too!)  When I finish decorating, my house looks like a Christmas tornado has hit and slammed Christmas decorations EVERYWHERE! There is no corner, table, nook, or cranny that has not been decorated. I spread “Christmas cheer” everywhere!  My decorations span over 50 years … from the late 60s to today.  No theme, no color scheme, just cheese!!!  I might have some Griswold blood in me! I get just THAT excited!

My love of Christmas goes way back to “my” beginning of time. My birthday is December 22^nd, my brother’s is January 1^st, and November 16^th is my father’s. So, as mid-November approached, the hype increased daily and didn’t deflate until mid-January.  Birthdays really weren’t that big of a deal during my childhood because they were wrapped up in Christmas.  In fact, our birthday wrapping paper WAS the Christmas wrapping paper!  Red and green were our birthday colors!

Honestly, it was the anticipation and the excitement that we were running on.  The experiences of anticipation and excitement … NOT the birthday parties and presents.  We looked forward to this time ALL YEAR LONG! Like most do, but the Christmas season was even more exciting for us because it wrapped up our birthdays, too.

As we develop and mature in our own relationship with Christ, the childhood “hype” is seasoned with awe, wonder, love, and gratitude for Jesus coming to be our Savior, friend, well, our everything.  Last Christmas, I attempted to identify with Mary and what that might have been was like for her to give birth to the Savior.  I allowed myself to wonder what it must have been like for Jesus to leave perfection in Eternity and come to Earth as a baby to a couple living in poverty.  (I blogged about this experience in June of this year.)  That exercise made Christmas THAT much sweeter to me.

When small children enter our lives (whether your own, nieces and nephews, or friend’s children), that hype comes back in a different form.  The excitement seems to be more centered around giving than receiving. The hype is savored, now.  We sit back and watch the wonder and awe unfold before us through the eyes of a child.

I wonder if this is a glimpse of what it’s like for God when we receive and appreciate His gifts?

When I say, I love Christmas time … I mean, I love Christmas!  Does anyone else get excited when local radio stations begin playing Christmas music 24/7? Christmas music is the only music that plays … in the car, the house, anywhere.  I told you, I’m serious!  One song comes to mind … it’s the universal signal for me to put up the tree, put out the Christmas lights, start saying “Merry Christmas” to everyone.  Here’s a link if you want to hear it again: https://youtu.be/SFGC_YgeQ5w.  After clicking, you smiled and started swaying a little bit, didn’t you?

This song was recorded by Andy Williams 55 years ago, in 1963, and is STILL relevant today! “Jingle-belling” “Be of good cheer”, “Hap-happiest season of all”, “Holiday meetings”, “Friends come to call”, “Parties for hosting”, “Marshmallows for toasting”, “Caroling”, memories of “Christmases long, long ago”, “Mistletoe-ing”, and “Loved ones are near” are just some of the lyrics.  These lyrics can promote warm-fuzzy feelings, both individually and collectively.  It seems like the whole world is full of Christmas cheer … sometimes.  Other times, we are just worn out, stressed out, depressed, and overwhelmed.  I mean, some of our loved ones are not near or even “here”!  Another Christmas party! It’s too hot to even start a fire to roast marshmallows! “Who is that ringing my doorbell? My house is a mess!”  “What if I don’t feel very cheerful!”

Even amidst the hype, excitement, awe, and wonder … sometimes we just need a little encouragement.  I am one of these people who now must choose to be hyped up and excited.  You see, two years ago, my family of four became a family of three.  We DO Christmas differently than we did before.

In August 2016, my oldest daughter, Savannah, a healthy 21-year old college student became critically ill and remained in critical condition for 10 ½ weeks in ICUs until she moved into eternity on November 4, 2016.  So, Christmas 2016 and 2017, we chose to allow ourselves to experience some hype.  Yep, we needed some encouragement, and still do this year.  God had and is always faithful, so we relied on Him and called out to the GREAT ENCOURAGER.  God will encourage those that rely on Him.  THIS, I know.  I’m going to share an intimate example with you that occurred within the first couple of days.

From the moment we received “the call”, we literally camped out in the waiting room at St. Francis Hospital in Monroe, LA for 3 weeks. We could be with Savannah around the clock in the ICU except from 6:30-10:30 am and 6:30-8:30 pm.  So, we would go in to see Savannah first thing in the morning, then I would leave the hospital and go to her university, shower, take care of myself, come back to the hospital, tag Tim, then he would go, take care of himself, and be back by the time we could see her.

I, as mom, was doing what we – as moms – do best. I was taking care of business.  I did not have an option NOT to do this.  I was not given the choice NOT to fall apart.  I simply must keep going.  Well this day, something was different.  I could tell when I left the hospital that I was “off”.  We had not heard ANY good or encouraging news.  It was all bad.  While showering, it hit me all at once.  This was the first time I released.  I could have showered without the water running because the tears were flowing so fast and furious. I pulled myself somewhat together enough to finish showering, brush my teeth, and get dressed.  I distinctly remember going to the door, touching the doorknob, and it hit me like a ton of bricks!  I literally hit the floor in a weeping mess!  I cried out to God and told Him I knew He was in control and I trust Him. I know He loves Savannah and me. I know my husband is hanging on by a thread and I must be strong for him and Isabella, not to mention Savannah! I am trying to be strong but, …

“I NEED JUST A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT!”

If I could have just a little, I think I could make it. I pulled myself together, drove into the parking garage behind a SUV and immediately became agitated because the driver was clearly unfamiliar with proper driving etiquette in parking garages! The car crept along, then stopped.  Start, stop, start, stop.  I had never experienced real road rage but, I was beginning to understand how and why this condition could suddenly overtake someone. I remembered screaming, “I just have to get to my baby!!!!”  Finally, this car moves out of my way and I find a parking spot.  I trot intentionally toward the waiting room.

From this moment until it was time to see Savannah, I received supernatural answers to my prayer to God, well, honestly, to my hissy-fit before God.  For about two hours, I received encouragement after encouragement after encouragement.   This included a “random” meeting in the hall with Savannah’s childhood ENT reminding me not to give up my faith, four text messages from people throughout the state reminding me Savannah and our family were in their prayers, a “divine” appointment with a precious friend resulting in me releasing the guilt I felt for “not knowing” my baby was THIS sick, a dear friend setting up a prayer vigil so that prayer could occur collectively while we were also praying individually, the admitting doctor telling me he was encouraged because things were “starting to move in the right direction”, and seeing her nurse’s excitement that Savannah had “smiled” at her!  This all occurred in the span of about 2 hours (after I had cried out to God that I needed a little encouragement)!

I consider these two hours of encouragement supernatural because any one of these would have given me the “just a little encouragement” needed so that I could go on. When reading through the book of Job in the Bible, while Job is being notified of one tragedy, another messenger is bringing news of another tragedy.  And, another.  And, so on.  I experienced just the opposite.  After receiving “just a little encouragement” from Savannah’s ENT, another occurs, and another until it’s 10:30 am and I can go see Savannah.  Here I am trying to be strong when what I really wanted to do was to crawl up in bed with Savannah and her sister and assume the fetal position under the covers until this storm was over! But instead, I cried out to my Savior and Father and told him I just needed a little encouragement.  Did He deliver!!!! Thank you, Lord, for the encouragement.

Here’s a little something to take with you into this season.  I told you I love Christmas and I love Christmas balls.  One of my favorite Christmas pictures from my childhood is my first Christmas.  I was a little cheeky baby with coal dark eyes and black hair sitting in front of a tinsel tree in my new rocking chair Santa had brought me. You can just make out the Christmas balls in the background.  Ok, I had to share some cuteness with you!

I want to give you a Christmas gift in the form of my favorite type of ornament.  Use this gift when you need just a little encouragement this Christmas.

• B – Find your balance between the hype, awe, responsibilities, and expectations. Listen to yourself.
• A – Allow yourself time to own the scripture: Be Still and Know that He is God.  Take time to relate to Jesus Christ as Savior. Allow yourself to identify with Mary and Jesus sometime during this Christmas season.
• L – Ask for a “LITTLE” encouragement.  When you get overwhelmed and need “just a little” encouragement, call out to the Great Encourager and EXPECT to be encouraged beyond your imagination!
• L – Position yourself to feel the LOVE of Christ.  Once you identify with Him, have asked for and are expecting encouragement to occur, now position yourself to totally be engulfed in His love.
• S – Savor this Christmas! Make yourself appreciate every moment (whether they are pleasurable or not).  Savor every moment you’re given as it could be your last.

It IS the most wonderful time of the year!

Hang those Christmas balls, enjoy the hype, be encouraged, and THRIVE!

Stephanie