Go Beyond

We look forward to setting up our Christmas tree each year. Over the years we have enjoyed both real and artificial trees. However, regardless of the kind of tree we choose, once we add the ornaments our Christmas tree is transformed into a memory tree. Each branch is laden with ornaments that we have collected over the past thirty years of marriage with three kids and more than fifty trips around the world. We handle and hang each ornament with care because each one has a special memory associated with it — something that I do not take for granted. Several years ago I received a call a few days after Christmas informing me that the house of some friends had burned down. When I arrived at the scene, we walked through the smoldering ashes to the spot where their Christmas tree had stood. My friends cried because every ornament they had collected and that the kids had made through the years had burned in the fire.

It’s interesting how hanging a little ornament on a tree can trigger a particular memory, often the kind of memories that never surface until we get the Christmas boxes out of the attic. And, memory is a good thing at Christmas and throughout the year. Just ask Ebenezer Scrooge, the Dickens character who lost touch with the meaning of Christmas in part because he lost touch with his memories. The ornaments on our tree do more than adorn the branches, they play a small but significant role in keeping us connected to memories of our journey together as a family. Every little glittery orb and hand-made ornament remind us of our connection with each other and with the family and friends we are blessed to have and to know. In thinking about the ornaments on our tree, I can classify them into three important categories.

First, our tree is filled with ornaments that remind us of family. These include ornaments our kids made in school and those that we purchased to commemorate special occasions like “First Christmas Together” and “Baby’s First Christmas.” We have ornaments that we purchased on family vacations to national parks, national monuments, and other places we have visited together around the country. After my beautiful mother passed away last year, I ordered some special ornaments that feature family photos taken at Christmas. The ornaments on our tree tell the story of our family in Christmas-sized chunks of time.

Second, our tree is also adorned with ornaments that remind us of friends and neighbors. While in San Antonio, our friends who owned a Hallmark store gave each of us a special Hallmark ornament every year for eight years. Our kids love to see these ornaments on our tree. And, we also have ornaments given to us by neighbors and other friends. These ornaments remind us of how fortunate we have been over the years to have neighborly friends and friendly neighbors.

Finally, our tree is decorated with ornaments that I have collected on my travels around the world. Wherever I go, I always make it a point to find something that I can bring home to hang on our Christmas tree to remind us of the nations. These ornaments remind us to pray for those who live in places hostile to the gospel and the many people groups that are still waiting to hear the story of Christmas. This year I added several more ornaments from the nations.

So, our Christmas tree is really more than a Christmas tree. It is a place for us to put our memories on display and also prayer prompts for the nations at Christmas. As we gather around our tree and in front of our hearth this Christmas, we will enjoy the fragrance of our tree and the sweet aroma of special memories. I pray that you too will enjoy special memories this Christmas. And, if your past is not filled with special memories, begin this year to create the kind of memories that you will enjoy next Christmas and in the many to follow. Best wished for a blessed Christmas.