Real Christmas (reposted from 2012)

              
 Ah, the family Christmas letter – the updates and photos, the news and happenings….I enjoy receiving them and I've even written a few myself.  Usually they highlight the best parts of the year, as well as announcing various milestones: births, graduations, marriages, deaths, etc....  Occasionally, you might even get one that sounds a little "spun", like this one…



To our Most Esteemed Family and Friends,

                This has been quite an eventful year indeed for the Smith family.  Bobby received a full scholarship to Yale University, and we couldn’t be more proud!  And Susie is in ALL high honors classes and also went with her volleyball team to the state finals: they won the championship!  And little Billy Bob has been placed into the gifted children’s program…for the third year in a row! 

                In April, we took a spontaneous, amazing two-week vacation to Australia to celebrate Dan’s big promotion.  Our next stop: Paris!  Joyeux Noel! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

                Sometimes life goes that way, and we celebrate.  Most of the time, however, our lives are a mix of blessings and challenges.  And then there are times, even entire seasons that are disproportionately painful.  Not the stuff of Christmas letters… 

Dear Friends and Family,

                Well, this year has been a real doozy.  Bobby broke his leg playing football which cost him his hard-earned scholarship.  Since the twins hit puberty, we are on Proactive’s frequent shipper program.  Linda took an extra job to pay for Billy Bob’s second round of braces, and between the two of us, we’ve gained 40 pounds since last Christmas!

Here’s hoping this New Year will be better than the last!

                Of course I’m having a little fun here - people wouldn't really send a letter like that.  And certainly not at Christmas.  It is, after all, the most wonderful time of the year - when our troubles are supposed to be miles away.  We’re supposed to be baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping. Writing Christmas cards and dreaming of a blanket of snow covering earth and trees, making everything beautiful and new. 

                But what if this is not the most wonderful time of my year?  A few days before Thanksgiving, one of my loved ones received a very difficult diagnosis.  We are still waiting.  Waiting for tests to be performed, results to come back, treatments to be determined.  The call came on the evening of the day I watched my niece be born.  In one day, one moment, everything changed.

 

                I’m putting up the tree, decorating the house.  I’m baking cookies and wrapping gifts.  I’m buying groceries, folding laundry, going to work.  And my heart is torn by circumstances beyond my control.  I’m struggling to be truly present with my family as we celebrate the holiday and our traditions.  

                Some days when the anxiety and sadness are so heavy, even the smallest act of kindness or concern from a friend can undo me:  cookies in my mailbox; texts that say “thinking of you”; a meal prepared for our family so I don’t have to think about making dinner tonight.  When someone lets me know that they see me, that they hear me, that they care about what I’m going through, some things deep inside that I am trying to contain spill out of me.  Sorrow.  Hope.  Fear.  Tenderness.

                I believe that Christmas ought to be real.  The first Christmas, after all, was not story-book perfect.  The journey to Bethlehem was not a romantic getaway for Joseph and Mary – it was difficult.  Giving birth in a stable surrounded by animals was not “cute”.  The reality is that Jesus was born into a hostile world - a world in desperate need of Him.  The circumstances surrounding Christ’s birth were not ideal.  It’s His coming into our world that makes the Christmas story so beautiful.

 

                And over and over we hear the same message, the same command, the same liberating exhortation: Do not be afraid.  Spoken to Mary, to Joseph, to the shepherds, and to us.  Do not be afraid.  All is well.

                                                       Jesus has come.  Joy to the world!

                                                               Let earth receive her King!

                                           Jesus still comes.  Let my heart prepare Him room.

                Maybe your family, like mine, is facing some challenges and uncertainties ahead.  This Christmas, I need Emmanuel more than ever.  Jesus coming, into my world.  I don’t need to pretend or pretty it up.  In the unraveling, He comes.  In the breaking, He comes.  And in the waiting, the hoping, the trusting, He comes. 

Psalm 46:  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, for our God is near.

                So do it.  Have yourself a merry, authentic, little Christmas.  Let the reality of His presence remind you that All is Well.  Take a few moments to listen to this song...

LOL

LOL is probably the most overused, underwhelming texting lingo of our day. And the funny thing is, it hardly ever really means “laughing out loud.” Most often, it means, “I found that mildly amusing. One corner of my mouth went up just a tad and I might have even let out a little snicker.”

Then there is ROTFL – is that even right? Rolling on the floor laughing – but of course nobody is actually rolling on the floor. This just means that the person is highly amused and probably let out one solid “Ha!”, but I would bet they didn't even LOL, for real.

So that’s my question: When was the last time you laughed out loud? Laughed so hard that you cried? Couldn’t fall asleep because every time you thought about whatever made you laugh, you laughed all over again?

Recently, a couple of episodes of Friends made me LOL. The one where they all go on vacation to the beach and the humidity makes Monica’s hair frizzy. With each scene her hair gets increasingly frizzier, the rest of the gang cracks jokes, and by the end of the show (she is probably wearing a wig) she looks like Bozo the clown. I laughed so hard I cried. Or, (click to view)“The One where Joey speaks French.” My hubby and I were both crying over that one. Or my absolute favorite, “The One with Joey on The Pyramid game show.” It’s like there’s a switch in the deepest part of our psyches that can move us from laughter to tears and back again, like the switch on a railroad that sends the train on a different track. And I don’t know what happens, or the science behind it, but laughing that hard is cleansing on a very deep level. Refreshing release. It feels so good to laugh.

Nothing beats the “I can’t breathe” kind of laughter. And a close second is hearing someone you love laugh that hard. Recently I was on the phone with my sister, Kari, and she told me to check out some funny postings from a mutual facebook friend. Here’s what I read:

"I don't want to make anyone jealous but....I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school!" Bahaha!

"Oh I'm sorry...did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?" Bahahaha!

"Welcome to Hollister, would you like a gas mask and a flashlight?"

“Sunglasses: allowing you to stare at people without getting caught. It's like Facebook in real life!"

Kari had already read these quotes, but she didn’t want to end our call because it was so much fun hearing me laugh out loud.

And is there any sound more divine than hearing your children belly laugh? It is irrelevant whether or not you find the object of their laughter worthy – hearing or seeing others laugh is contagious and immensely enjoyable.

Makes me wonder if God laughs? I usually think of Him in more serious terms: Loving, Holy, Sovereign, All-powerful, and rightly so. But Laughing? Does He really laugh? I think He does, and I think He loves to hear His children LOL. One of my favorite paintings of Christ is one where his head is thrown back, and he's laughing out loud. The gospels describe Jesus as being "full of joy," and great with children. And we know that anyone that is great with kids has to have a sense of humor.

This Christmas, some friends and I took our children Christmas caroling at a nursing home. After visiting a couple of the residents in their rooms and serenading them with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” my friend and I overheard this conversation in the hall between two six-year-old children in our group:

“How long do you think before all these people die?”

“I don’t know, maybe two years?”

“Yeah, probably two years.”

Before Christmas, my husband, Bernie, and I did a little shopping. We made our purchases and then headed out to the parking lot. Next stop: lunch. I stood by the passenger door of our silver Toyota Sienna, waiting for Bernie to unlock the door. I tried the handle a couple of times, listening for the “click” of the locks and wondering what was taking him so long. I finally looked through the passenger side window to give him a “what’s the hold-up?” gesture, and there he was – two cars over, laughing his head off in the driver’s seat. I joined him, in our minivan and in laughter, because life is more fun if you can laugh at yourself.

Laughter is the best medicine. Isn’t that what Reader’s Digest has been saying all these years? Their humor column, now called, “Life’s Funny That Way,” is the first thing I turn to when I pick up a copy in the doctor’s office waiting room. I’m sure that the articles, Instant Ways to Energize Your Life, and Inspiring Love Stories are very good, but I only have a few minutes, and I need to laugh. These are from the Feb. 2012 issue (read while waiting for my daughter at the orthodontist’s office.)

I finally convinced my mother that it was a good idea for her to learn to text. Her first message to me? “Whereisthespacebar?” –Cindy Roden, Dallesport, Washington

After one glance at my updated driver’s license photo, I said the first thing that came to mind: “Ugghhh!”

“What’s wrong?” the DMV clerk asked.

“I look ancient in this picture.”

“Well look at the bright side: In five years, you’ll love it.” –Andrea Raiter, Milford, MA

The topic for my third-grade class was genetics. Smiling broadly, I pointed to my dimples and asked, “What trait do you think I passed on to my children?”

One student called out “Wrinkles!”– Lynn Gragg, Woodbury, Tennessee

And what about the times we laugh inappropriately at certain happenings? Like the YouTube video of the woman who fell into a mall fountain because she was texting? I watched that video over and over, laughing harder with each viewing. I laugh when people trip. I laugh when my husband can’t get the leash on our puppy – she’s biting him, he’s yelling, “Stop biting me!!” and I’m laughing out loud. Does this make me a bad person? Sometimes something strikes me as funny, and I don’t really know why. Like this picture I found:

I wouldn’t have use for a book like this, and I can’t think of anyone I’d like to punch in the face, but it still made me laugh. Out loud.

If you’re like me, you could probably use a little more laughter in your life. So find a show that makes you laugh; spend time with people that make you laugh; make someone LOL.

A couple more, because it’s hard to stop:

“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the heck she is.” ~Ellen DeGeneres

Me: "Every time I look at this table, there is more and more C-R-A-P on it..."
My 6-yr old, about 5 seconds later: "Why don't you just say crap?"

"Wow, that's a nice lookin' pair of crocs." said no one ever.