By Donna Winchell
When I was a child, I wanted to prolong the wonder of Christmas, wishing it to go on and on way after Christmas day. I would balk at taking down the tree, and putting the lights away for another year; and usually was able to persuade my folks to wait until January 6th when we would celebrate the Epiphany. We called it “Little Christmas” and for me, those extra twelve days were marvelous at keeping Christmas alive. Even as an adult, I sometimes find that as my neighbors’ Christmas displays begin disappearing one by one I feel just a little disappointed that the Christmas season went by so fast. But Christmas never ends if we turn it into something great by keeping the spirit of Christmas alive.
“When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.”
― Howard Thurman
Even though Christmas day has ended, that doesn’t mean that all the hope, peace, joy and love that was nurtured during Advent has to be wrapped up and put away – these gifts can keep giving and giving as we venture into and throughout the New Year. We are the bearers of His spirit and we can keep the spirit of Christmas alive all year long.
But how can we stay in our Christmas state of mind? How can we carry the awe of God coming to earth – fully God and fully man – with the same zeal of Advent and Christmas so it shines forth in our lives? Here are just a few ways:
We can do it by noticing people around us and responding with love.
The frail, the impatient, the harried parents and frazzled children – God sees their situations. He knows their hearts. We don’t, but we need to offer heartfelt concern or appreciation and plant seeds of peace in their lives with words of compassion, love and understanding.
We can do it by living our lives the way God intends us to.
Starting the New Year by surrendering our worries to Him and replacing those worrying thoughts with what God intends for us to think about; putting our hope in his unfailing love so we are able to keep our eyes on Him and on His righteousness. Every day His desire is that we would know His joy in our hearts in such a way that it becomes obvious to people around us. A poem by John Greenleaf Whittier expresses how living our lives, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year, brings joy to both the receiver and the giver:
“For somehow, not only for Christmas, but all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others, is the joy that comes back to you;
And the more you spend in blessing the poor and the lonely and sad,
The more of your heart’s possessing, returns to make you glad.”
We can do it by looking for opportunities to help others.
We are unique and each of us has something to offer. It might be our time, it might be reaching out as a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, it might be doing volunteer work, or it might simply be a thank you each day to let someone know we care. As Jesus said, “Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.” (TPT: Luke 6:38)
We began Advent with the cry, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’; now we end it with the joyful shout, ‘God is with us!’. How do you plan to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in your life and in your home during the coming year?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
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