If You Can’t Lick ‘Em – Join ‘Em

It's been "beginning to look a lot like Christmas" for months now. The big box stores have been touting us with their holiday wares since before Spring ended.This year I’m noticing even more folks skipping right over Thanksgiving and putting up their Christmas trees, house lights and decorations. Their home covered in a blanket of snow was all one of my friends needed to get her home all decorated with Christmas. One of the young volunteers who works with me at Children’s Hospital, along with her sister, put up their Christmas tree, fully decorated, while their mom was at work – completely against their mom’s desire to wait until after Thanksgiving.

Time for confession. I caved. Seems I’m still nostalgic with remembering nine years ago when I decorated our home for Christmas before Thanksgiving just before my husband passed away. I had never done that before and never since, but this year I can’t help myself. I've got a mishmosh going on -- Thanksgiving décor mixed with Christmas décor. My family will be getting two great celebration seasons rolled into one when they come in for Thanksgiving next week.

I was amused hearing some folks complaining about the early sales of Christmas decorations and hearing Christmas music playing since back in September. I understand retail stores want their bottom lines increased so they amp it up to get us into the "buying" frenzy way before the Christmas season. I can’t fault them for that. In order to vacate those shelves as quickly as possible, there are already 50% off sales.

Most of us want to embrace each season and make it as memorable as we can. We want to savor Fall with the leaves changing colors, pumpkin spice aromas and coffee, autumn décor. We want to remember the first Thanksgiving and the pilgrims and we want to make the Fall season special and meaningful. But, what's the big deal? Why should it matter when people begin to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas? What matters is that we open our hearts and our homes to gratitude at Thanksgiving and to the joys, delights, and celebrations of Christmas. Actually, both seasons could easily be merged together as one. So, here I am -- on board the early Christmas train!

Both of these beautiful seasons tend to make us more thankful, kinder, and expressing gratitude for God's blessings and for celebrating Christ’s birth. Joy to the world; the Lord has come. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. I’m already allowing myself to get caught up in the miraculous Christmas story as I set out my many manger and Holy Family scenes. And, as I’m embracing and pondering all that Christmas means, when my family is together here in Frisco next week, this mode of thanksgiving, will simply open the door for all the joys and beauty of Christmas.

I've honed into this beautiful journey that will lead to the most Holy Day when our Savior was born – and, it would have been okay if I started way back in July! After all, it’s more than a season or a day. It's our reason for unspeakable joy, indescribable love, and amazing sacrifice – that the ONE Who placed the stars in the sky and Who knows them all by name -- chose to come to this earth as a little baby to be with me, understand me, live in this world like me. He totally gets me and my frailties, but better yet, He is my all powerful, incomparable, awesome and amazing God. That's plenty reason to celebrate all read round! So, the next time we're tempted to complain about "too early", let's turn that around and welcome the reminder to thank God for the Reason for the season. It’s just too great a story to compact it into only one celebration.

Christmas Before Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Tomorrow will be our U.S. Thanksgiving Day. My Canadian family and friends celebrated their Thanksgiving Day back in October. For them, it makes Thanksgiving Day a couple of months before Christmas. I like that pause before Christmas activities. Whether October or November, it's been beginning to look a lot like Christmas for MONTHS now. My nephew, Mark David Lawrence, starts pining for Christmas and singing Christmas carols in July. I've seen some FB posts where folks were grumbling about Christmas decorations being sold since August. Christmas music is already being played in stores. I get that retail stores, needing their sales, amp it up to get us into the "buying" spirit waaay before the Christmas season.

I get that most of us want to embrace each season and make it as memorable as we can. We want to savor Fall with the leaves changing colors, candy corn, pumpkin spice coffee, autumn décor, and we want to remember the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving and make this season special. But, I started thinking -- "What's the big deal?" And why should it matter when people begin to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas? Different strokes for different folks. Bottom line is that we open our hearts, and our homes, to being thankful at Thanksgiving and to the joys, delights, thrills and celebrations of CHRISTMAS – Christ and His coming to this earth. Thanksgiving AND Christmas are seasons that could be celebrated all year long.

My daughter and family already have their Christmas tree and decorations up and I'll admit, I love the gentle, sweet and tender atmosphere that the Christmas décor creates. I'll put mine out soon after Thanksgiving, but I’m already embracing Christmas as Mom, on my recent trip to Tulsa, gave me her beloved Christmas tree and manger scene ceramic characters that she painted years ago. I'll display them adoringly. So I'll be pondering and thinking about all that Christmas means when my Austin and Frisco family are here celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow. We'll all be in such a mode of thanksgiving, it will make an easy transition for all the joys and beauty of Christmas.

I haven't complained about the Christmas decorations and music in the stores. It has just caused me to hone into the beautiful journey that will lead to the most HOLY AND MIRACULOUS DAY – and, it would have been alright if I started way back in July, with my nephew! After all, it’s more than a season or a day, it’s about a REASON for unspeakable joy, indescribable love, and amazing sacrifice – that the ONE who placed the stars in the sky and Who knows them ALL by name -- chose to come to this earth as a little baby to be with me, understand me, live in this world like me -- HE totally gets me and my frailties, but better yet, He is my all powerful, awesome and GREAT, amazing God. I'd say that's plenty reason to be celebrating ALL YEAR ROUND! So the next time you're tempted to complain about "too early", turn that around to being THANKFUL for the reminder to THANK God year 'round for THE REASON FOR ALL THE SEASONS.

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Santa Claus came and went. The reindeer's nose is no longer shining. The carolers have closed their Christmas song books. Chestnuts are no longer roasting on an open fire. My Canadian family are so happy we're no longer singing "Let it snow. Let it snow." and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", since they now have over 30 feet of snow piled up everywhere. The bells are no longer jingling.

And here at the Wuerch Family's home in Austin, the Christmas lights and decorations have been put away for another year and the 12-foot "real" tree (a real Christmas tree is a "must have" in this family), now dry as a bone and needles shed all over, was hauled off last night. I love to have that task done for my kids while they're away on their annual anniversary trip just after Christmas. This year I had the help of big-brother Barrett and the little brothers, Brennan and Bryson, in getting the tubs down from the attic and once I've filled them up with the decor, they hauled them back up the attic. Whew!

Life will be back to normal again for most of us very soon. The generosity we had for those less fortunate in December and the magic will gradually begin to fade. After all, the Salvation Army volunteers will no longer be ringing their bells at their kettles to remind us of those in need.

Life will soon be back to normal again very soon. "Normal" often means that the magic of the season will begin to fade. But for the moment, the magic is still in the air. I sense it. Maybe that’s why I’m able to type this blog in such sweet peace. The boys are fast asleep -- how can all that ever-so-high energy be reduced to such stillness, quietness and peacefulness? And in this stillness, I'm still savoring the spirit just a bit more. Though the lights that represented the LIGHT of this season were taken down at this household yesterday, I pray that the brilliant LIGHT of Christ that we beheld last week, we will still be looking to Him throughout 2017. And I can’t help but think: if we could give Him so much thought and homage during December, how much more would we live in the spirit of Christmas, if we thought of Him every day?

It's true.....WISE men and WOMEN still seek Him, and when we SEEK, we will FIND Him. He's not hiding. His LIGHT is brilliant for all of us to SEE Him......Jesus said, "I am the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of life.".......EVERYDAY!

Birthdays Really Matter

I’m heading back home today after several days of celebrating my son’s birthday. I brought Payton and Alexia (my daughter’s two) with me to Austin and yesterday Larry and Staci drove down after having just returned from a missions trip to Mexico the night before. Our family is BIG on birthdays, and while it may sound child-like to make such a big deal about birthdays, it really shouldn’t, because birthdays mean we made it through another year, and we're still here for a reason. That should be a BIG DEAL to us!

Yesterday I heard a lady say “I’m not having any more birthdays. In fact, I don’t even know how old I am anymore.” And I quickly replied, “Goodness gracious, I'm thrilled to celebrate my birthday. It means I made it through another year." I heard Christine Caine's remarks about birthdays. She said, "The older we get, we downplay having another birthday. We don't want any 'big deals' or ANY attention given to us having another birthday. How silly it is to throw a gigantic, blow-out of a birthday for a one-year old. What has a one year old done to deserve that birthday? Those who have been here for half a century and more are the ones to be celebrated. For goodness sakes, every year that we're still here, we deserve fireworks, celebrations, recognition and tributes..... because we EARNED this birthday and every other birthday! We made it another year."

Let’s be clear – it’s not as much about the presents, as it is of the PRESENCE of those who love us and make us feel…..”I am special”.
Here’s the real crux of the matter: You may not have had the ideal family life or have the perfect body OR be the “sharpest tool in the shed”, but you always were and always will be a treasure, and on your birthday, you get to rock that truth.

Birthdays say, “You’re special!” That’s what we do with the red “special plate” where we go around and share why “the birthday boy or girl or man or woman” is special to us. Birthdays say, “Hey, you, you’re great! I’m so glad you’re in my life.” And that’s why birthdays are a big deal – because birthdays represent our God-given mission and destiny and every year that we’re here, we get to celebrate our journey.

And with each year.....we have the opportunity to celebrate -- not for just THE day, but EACH day that God gives us. Celebrating it with a merry heart, a glad heart, a thankful heart, a forgiving heart, a heart open to the abundance of God's love and bringing forth fruit, being vigorous and flourishing.

I have a dear friend who doesn't wait for someone to throw her a party. She throws a birthday bash for herself, and she invites us all to join her for her BIG DAY. I love that. She knows she is special to us AND God, so, of course, we celebrate her.

So, today, whether you or 6 or 60 or 96.....you are to be celebrated. You're still bearing fruit. You're still here....you're not done!