There are lots of Christmas lights up now. Sammy and I have taken to driving round and 'inspecting' them.
“That. Is. Garish.” I hear myself saying scathingly, as we zip past a neon funfair of a house. “Way too much flashing…”
“Classy,” says Sammy at warm lights strung across a garage. Her favourite is the simple white lights wrapped around the branches of a tree, defining its shape. I quite like that too - though I also quite like the falling strings of gold some folks have across their bay windows. I think lights ought to be cosy.
At the bottom of all this in-car roadshow though, there is a sort of irrepressible joy in us: joy that each of these people is celebrating something - something wonderful! It might be a feeling, or a religious zeal, or just shimmering nostalgia, but something has made someone in each of these households dig through the loft, pull the ladder from the garage, risk the biting wind and sleety rain, not to mention the electricity bill. I don’t think I mind whether they pulled out something I like, or giant snowmen, or flashing candy canes or an inflatable Santa with an LED in his trousers - it’s so nice to see people celebrate Christmas!
Isn't it?
Some things really matter to us, don’t they? And I think, sometimes, when other people don’t do them ‘properly’ we get upset about it. We get scathing. We get judgmental. But what if that’s all ‘outward appearance’ and really, the Lord is looking ‘on the heart’? What if there’s more going on under the surface that’s pure and simple and elegant and honest? What if we took time to find out about those things?
We haven’t put up our decorations yet. For one thing, the pod’s in the way - and I’m very reluctant to illuminate it. Hopefully, we can do indoors tomorrow, including the tree, the fairy lights, the bunting, and the baubles. I don’t know whether our style is everyone’s cup of tea, but to that I respectfully blow raspberries, if one can even do that respectfully!
We will have so much joy in doing it, we’ll make so many memories, and we’ll do it with love. And that, I think, is what matters.
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