OUR "CHRISTMAS STORY"!

“Deck the horrs with boughs of horry…” So sang the impromptu Chinese restaurant quartet for the family of the boy “who almost shot his eye out with his new Red Ryder BB Gun.” This infamous depicting of a WWII period family at Christmas came to mind when Virginia and I spent this first Christmas in our new home, minus a lot of the “taken for granted” items not yet moved from our old place.

No, the neighbor dogs did not rob the Christmas turkey, but without a refrigerator we had shopped for something different for our Christmas Eve meal alone. We were looking forward to some Chicken Chow Mein. First, we had forgotten to bring the silverware, so we made do by washing some plastic forks. Secondly, as I attempted to open the cans, we discovered that we had not remembered to pack a can opener. Again, ingenuity stepped in and the “church key” we had been using to open paint cans became the make shift opener. Careful, you can get some serious cuts. Don’t try it at home unless you’re starving. I learned that opening with such a procedure not only will collapse the can on one side, but spray the operator with the contents.

We finally managed to arrange our meal, set up on a card table in the empty den, so as to be able to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life”, which I discovered we had not yet moved to our new home. I did dig out an old VHS copy of “The Prince of Egypt” and we enjoyed a revisit with this excellent telling of Moses’ rise as God’s leader for Israel. All in all a good evening as we reflected on the blessings of the season, and enjoyed the special night back in Arkansas.

Of course, the whole episode of “missing” things that make life easier was not complete without a MacGyver clip. You know how it seems you can never find a pair of scissors when you need them, though you own at least a dozen? We were trying to fit shelf paper in the kitchen cabinets, and discovered not one of our collection had made the first load. I finally thought that perhaps I had put a pair in my tool box. Lo, and behold, I had not, but I did spot a red-handle beauty of MacGyver fame. A Swiss Army knife with a scissor blade. I managed one shelf before determining that I did not have his patience in working the gadget. My hat’s off to you, Mac.

As I reflect upon the whole of this particular Christmas experience, I am reminded of how dependent we become, and how much we take for granted. The Christmas season points to a story of truly great sacrifice that is also taken for granted. God’s Son became the “incarnate” babe in a manger, in a stable no less. No warm house, no electricity nor pre-cooked meals, none of the “stuff” we seem to treasure. Not even a Swiss Army knife. And yet His sacrifice which reached to the extreme of the cross gives us a far more valuable treasure than can be found in all of our modern missed things. He gave us LIFE itself, and not just to be lived FOR GRANTED…but for ETERNITY BLISS with HIM! THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR YOUR LOVE AND SACRIFICE. YOU ARE THE TREASURE.

My friends, in the midst of all of our celebrations of Christmas and the coming new year, do not forget THIS PRECIOUS GIFT as you enjoy all of the other bounty He provides.