Even though I have been retired several years, I recall numerous childhood Christmas experiences. Growing up in the mountains of western North Carolina, I recall traipsing through the mountain behind our house in search of that perfect Christmas tree. One year my brother and I found a perfect little cedar tree. We quickly found out that cedar trees were hard to decorate without getting scratched as we strung the lights and hung the ornaments, so pine or spruce was our choice after that lesson!
After decorating the tree, back into the woods we went to search for those green parasitic clumps called mistletoe that grew on the limbs of oak trees that were now bare of leaves. Since most of the mistletoe was found in the higher limbs, the search often continued to several other oak trees in hopes of finding a clump of mistletoe on a limb that could be reached by safely climbing the tree or throwing a stick in hopes that the little white berries would not fall off. We hung a few sprigs from the ceiling.
Several American holly trees grew on my grandparents’ property. Breaking off twigs that were heavily “loaded” with red berries, we would lay them on the mantle over the fireplace or put them in vases. A touch of natural beauty, indeed!
Several Nandina plants grew in the front yard, and each year several clumps of red- or burgundy-colored berries hung heavily from these bushes. Occasionally just one clump of Nandina berries would create an eye-catching decoration amid some cedar or pine greenery, lying on a mantle or table. Yes, boughs of cedar or pine added that distinctive fresh scent to the whole house.
Making our own swags or wreaths from juniper, pine, hemlock, or cedar for indoor or outdoor decor was time-consuming as the wires needed to be hidden, and any other decoration such as ribbons or ornaments or a string of Christmas lights required patience and skill! Yet, this century-old tradition passed down from the ancient Druids brought its festive touch to our home!
These childhood memories are not mere nostalgia, rather, they are recollections of a time when families used their own resources for decorations…. buying from merchants only lights and ornaments and tinsel.
Most intriguing, however, about these memories is the fact that families brought the outside to the inside of their homes to create an incredible array of stunning beauty and delightful auras! Indeed! These outside resources brought inside also brought a sense of hope, peace, joy, and love!
Bringing the outside inside! What an apt description of the story of the birth and life of Jesus, our Lord! The outside (shepherds, magi from afar) came in to see this “thing that had come to pass.” Even the angels, a heavenly host, came from the “outside” down to earth to proclaim the Good News.
And Jesus, throughout his ministry, was all about bringing the outside in! He included a tax collector and a zealot to be among his chosen inner circle of twelve disciples. He ate at the home of Zacchaeus, He taught that a neighbor was one who truly looked after and cared for another., regardless of “race, religion or creed.” He conversed with the Samaritan woman at the well. He ate with Gentiles, that is, non-Jews. He healed the woman who touched his garment, He spoke from the cross, “Father, forgive them” in regards to those who condemned him.
Need I say more? Our mission, our charge, our purpose, under the Lordship of Jesus, is to bring the outside in!
