Christmas Gets in the Way...Thank God

I got in trouble once for suggesting something that I thought would make our lives easier.  We have a small alcove in our living room, a nook formed by the outside walls and the fireplace.  I thought it would be a great idea to put the Christmas tree in there when we put it up the first week of December.  It would fit just right, and that would get it out of the way of all the other furniture, and we wouldn’t have to walk around it for a month.  Sounded like a winner to me.

We went ahead and did it, but I was the only one who supported the change.  Everyone else in the family, the kids and my wife, hated the new placement of the tree with great passion.  They preferred the old way, in which the tree (and piles of presents) sat virtually right in the middle of the living room, in front of the outside windows.  We’ve never done it differently since.

Christmas is almost here again, and I’ve been thinking about why the placement of the tree is so important.  I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the FUNCTION of Christmas to be disruptive.  The Christmas tree just reflects that role.

Think about it - we spend so much of our lives devoted to our schedules and routines, especially in the areas of getting and spending.  We know where we’re going at every moment.  We have to make a real effort to keep things in order, because only order will help us get through the day.  Then, with beautiful regularity, along comes Christmas.  All of a sudden, we’re spending more than we ought, we’re talking to people we barely notice the rest of the year, we’re getting together with relatives we almost never see.  We cram our houses full of lights and gaudy bric-a-brac, we make special desserts and treats we don’t really need, and we stay up much longer than we should.  And right in the middle of everything is that big fat Christmas tree, taking up so much space that we can’t see around it.  And that’s just the way it should be, because we need the break from stifling routine.  We need to see those people and eat those delicious, fatty cookies.  We need to go to church and the office party.  The routine will always be there waiting for us, after the New Year.

Christmas, it’s a pain.  And God bless it.