Christmas Through a Child's Eyes

For many adults, including myself, the mystery and joy of Christmas is elusive.  Oh, we enjoy time with family and friends and parties, but the excitement and anticipation just isn't what it used to be.  I think partly this is because when you grow up Christmas starts to look something like this: racking brains to figure out what presents to get everyone--buying presents for everyone--wrapping and shipping presents--keeping up with which kids have which Christmas events when--making goodies for performances and parties--driving to and fro to performances and parties--just barely managing to make it to the Christmas Eve service--cooking for the family on Christmas--opening gifts while making lists of gifts for thank yous--organizing snacks for midnight on Christmas--figuring out the New Year's party--and so on.  As adults, our Christmastime is filled with go, go, go.  We are the ones "responsible" for making a great Christmas happen.  We want our families to have an amazing Christmas.

I don't know about you, but the rush of the season tends to wear me out.  I come to Christmas exhausted from all I've had to do and be.  For several years, it just felt like all Christmas excitement had evaporated--until I had my daughter.  Now, I get to discover Christmas again through her eyes--and it's beautiful!  Everything is new to my daughter.  Lights delight.  Nativity scenes excite.  Santa intrigues.  Every part of it is exciting.  Need some evidence?  Check out these pics.

 This one is from the Christmas parade in Dallas.  Just look at that face as the floats pass by.  Sheer delight!

Sitting in Santa's lap, she just knew Santa had the goods--candy canes :-)

At the Sugar Plum Fairy tea, she got to sit in Clara's sleigh.  She was also amazed that ballerinas were real as she'd only seen them in books.

Marveling at the trains at NorthPark Center.  I wish I could have gotten a good picture of the twinkle in her eyes as she watched them.

The most wonderful thing is that as Alexis marvels at Christmas, I marvel, too.  I get to share it right along with her and recapture my own childhood fascination with the season.  As I pondered this phenomena, I began to think that perhaps it is more than just getting to experience Christmas afresh that brings out the joy of Christmas in a child.  I have come to realize that Alexis loves Christmas so much not only because it is all new to her, but she isn't weighed down by worries.  She's still blissfully unaware of the burdens adults carry.  It's true that some of our burdens are necessary and we must carry them.  But do we carry burdens that are unnecessary as well?  Am I not celebrating the birth of the one who declared, "my yoke is easy and my burden is light"?  It occurs to me that I don't have to "make" Christmas anything.  Jesus already did that more than 2000 years ago.  Christmas would be Christmas without any presents or trees or parties.  Christmas is celebrating the fact that a tiny babe was born so he could lead me to the light and free me from my sin.  That is Christmas.

Tonight my daughter and I sat on the couch and she said, "Tell me about big Jesus" (she means when Jesus was an adult).  So I told her some stories.  Then she said, "Tell me about little Jesus" (of course, when Jesus was a baby).  In the quiet of the house, the truth came from the mouth of my daughter.  Even after all the Christmas celebration we've had, for her, it all still comes down to "Tell me about Jesus."

What I want more than anything this Christmas is to go with the flow.  I just want to let God lead me along as He speaks to me about His son, reminding me that all this celebration wouldn't even exist if Jesus hadn't graced this earth with his physical presence.  What I need is to relax like a little child without a thought of what I need to do next.  Just go, just be, just listen.  Just remember that it's all about Jesus after all.