To All You Early Christmas Decorators

Don’t think I haven’t been paying attention.  I see you.  You, the ones who started taking out the Christmas decorations the moment your door closed on the last trick-or-treater.

I’ve seen your pictures on social media.  Your tree is up.  Your lights are hung.  Some of you even openly admit to having the music going already.

Here’s what I think about that…

I think it’s been a rough year.

Whether you’ve tested positive or not

Whether your kids are in-person or e-learning

Whether your vacation was cancelled or wasn’t

Whether you choose to wear a mask or not

Whether your candidate won or lost

2020 has been rough.

In our house, Christmas comes with the decked-out tree, all the delicious food, and a long wish list to Santa.  But it is, first and foremost, very much about Baby Jesus (yes, capital “B”).

It’s the birth of Baby Jesus that brings hope, love, and joy.  Hope that there is a plan already in place for us.  Love that is never ending.  And a joy that doesn’t come from anything wrapped under the tree on Christmas morning.

I don’t know about you, but I could use a little more hope, love, and joy at the end of 2020.

So to all you early tree decorators this year, all you folks with Mariah Carey in your earbuds already, you want to remind yourselves that there is hope, love, and joy that only comes from Baby Jesus on Nov 1st instead of Nov 27th this year?  You want to remind yourself that there is a greater plan than the ridiculousness that surrounded 2020 this year?  You want to remind yourself that there is love and joy in our world that the 24-hour news stream won’t headline?

Well, in that case, I think you’re a freakin’ genius.