Over the years, a new tradition has emerged in the Baird household. The week after Christmas, I spend a week cleaning out the old toys and books, deciding what can be throw away or given away, just to make room for the new stuff. Believe me, it's never the way I plan to spend my vacation.
But that's what it's become on most occasions. Christmas Day begins with stockings, breakfast, and presents; then we clean up and move on to lunch, and sometimes more presents; then we cook and feast and crash into bed with a full stomach and a living room full of things.
Most Christmas Days come and go and I barely have time to think about Jesus. I'm too busy "celebrating" to pay attention to the Birthday Boy. The decorations and the giving add beauty to an already beautiful holiday, but do they also distract?
Have we made idols of presents and decorations? I wonder. Have we made idols of food, traditions, and even family?
If we took away the lights, the trees, the presents, the food, and the parties, would we find that we still have something to celebrate?
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