This Christmas was a very different kind than I have had the last 20 years. My sister Kate was celebrating on the islands of Tahiti in the sweltering heat, I was freezing my toes off in the English snowy weather, while the other four members of our family enjoyed the traditions of stockings, presents, Christmas breakfast, and the joy of sitting in around a Christmas tree as Dad reads the real story of why this holiday exists. As I pondered these past delights I remembered that though I am not with my family doing all the familiar things we do around this time, I should be celebrating the best gift ever given - the gift of God's very own Son sent to our humble and broken world to deliver us from the bonds of sin so that we can freely enter His presence! How incredible is that?! Though we celebrated the day with festive gingerbread house making (it was pretty much a masterpiece if you haven't seen it...) and songs of baby Jesus and good times and good food, it was refreshing to attend the Christmas Eve service at our little church down the road in our village of Bridge.
Upon entering the very rustic old church each of us were given a "Christingle." This is a Christmas tradition originating in Germany back in the 1600s, but in the more recent centuries has traveled to England as part of their Christmas celebration. The Christingle is an orange with a red ribbon around it symbolizing the world and Christ's blood shed for it. Then sticking out of the top of the fruit is a white candle that reminds us that Jesus is the "light of the world." Around the candle are four cocktail sticks (toothpicks :P) with little gummy candies stuck on top of them representing that Jesus rules the four seasons and four corners of the earth and provides us with daily food. The tradition is to light the Christingle and place it in your window on Christmas day to share with the world the light of Jesus Christ. A pretty cool idea, huh?! I think the US could benefit from this Christ-based Christmas tradition. :)
Well, I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and remembered to dwell on the greatest gift we could ever receive!
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