Ever since I was a little girl my favorite part of the holiday season has been trimming the tree.
I am serious about decorating my Christmas tree, if by serious you mean “completely controlling about ornament placement.” This is quite possibly the reason no one likes to help me. When I was a little girl, my mother took my sister and me to pick out a new Christmas ornament every year. It was a special tradition, especially because I like a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding the occasions in my life. I was very obviously meant to be British and I would make an excellent member of the royal family, for that whole part about how you have to wear pantyhose to be a princess.
Once home we would painstakingly lay out all of the Christmas ornaments and start hanging them on the tree one by one as Bing Crosby crooned holiday tunes and the smell of snicker doodles baking wafted through the house. It was a really special time that I have such fond memories of, where we came together as a family to trim the tree with love and laughter and cookies.
Except for that part about how every time my little sister would turn her back to pick up an ornament I would quickly move whichever bauble she had just hung one the tree to a new (and much better) location because unfortunately for her she had terrible idea about Christmas Tree Ornament Placement. It was ruining the entire look of the tree. You don’t put Holiday Barbie next to the crystal Partridge in a Pear Tree, that’s all I’m saying. Aesthetics, people.” – excerpted from Anchored: Finding Hope in the Unexpected
(What, you thought Anchored was a book all about my baby? Oh no, my friends. Anchored is full of sarcastic self-deprecation and also it is possible that I might have carried on for so long about my passionate feelings on how to decorate a Christmas tree that my editor was all, “I think six pages of this might be too many pages about ornament placement.”)
Those are my favorite Christmas memories because the remembrance of them feels like Christmas, shimmering in the corners my mind like tinsel.
It was such a joyful time, even if I was slightly controlling about how to position the Ten Lords A Leaping ornaments.
(Over the candlesticks. Naturally.)
I am a girl who loves Christmas cheer but I also love the joy of the season.
Because joy is more than a friendly smile and a happy heart.
Joy is contentment in all circumstances.
Joy is the overflow of a deep assurance of our faith.
Joy is the outward expression of our hope.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope – Romans 15:13
This is joy to the world.
Wishing you good tidings and great joy.
This post is part of my free advent series, An Anchored Advent. Join me here to have short, heartfelt daily devotions filled with hope and humor delivered straight to your inbox this holiday season.
