Christmas Decorations

Christmas time is here again!  The way time flies for me nowadays is crazy.  It doesn’t seem all that long ago that we were going through the Christmas season last year and here we are again.  I guess the main difference is that this year is different because Ben is in the mission field instead of here with us.  Jennifer bought a few new decorations for this year and I took pictures to share them with Ben, but then began to wonder if they might make him homesick.  I remember my first holiday season in the mission field and I had my moments when I was feeling a little wistful for home.  Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say in letters.  I want to tell Ben about things that are going on, but I don’t want to take his mind away from what he is doing.  I decided to put the question to him about the pictures.  Turns out I needed have worried, Ben’s reply: “Dad I am ok with you sending pictures to me . . . I know without doubt in my mind were I am is where the Lord wants me to be.  I miss you all, but I am not homesick so it’s all good.”  It’s nice to know that he is putting his all into his service.  I know that will be a benefit and a blessing to him.

Actually, Ben helped me to be more participatory at work.  As part of the Christmas decorating contest announced at work, one of my co-workers sent out an email to the rest of us in my division that she was going to hang up a brick wall theme on one of the walls and have a fake fireplace and such and she wanted everyone to decorate a felt stocking that would then be hung (tacked) to the brick wall.  Confession time: I can be a major party pooper, stick-in-the-mud when I put my mind to it.  When this email first went out, I was less than thrilled with the idea and wasn’t inclined to participate.  Thankfully, I was really busy that day and had that as a ready-made excuse if anyone came to my desk to ask if I had decorated my “stocking” yet.  Then I came home that night and found a letter in the mailbox from Ben.  He had written us a letter and sent us copies of some things he had received recently and wanted to share with us.  As Jennifer read his letter and he talked about missionary work and how important it is to share our testimonies with others, I felt a prompting that I should participate in the stocking decoration and I also had a decorating idea come to mind.

The next day, when I had a moment, I picked out a green felt stocking and took it back to my desk.  The idea that had come to me the night before was to use two scriptures (one from the Bible and one from the Book of Mormon) that would express my feelings about this wonderful holiday and my gratitude to the Savior for condescending to be born in mortality (see 1 Nephi 11:16-20).  With this theme in mind, I immediately chose Isaiah 9:6 and used the first portion of the verse: “For unto us a child is born”.  The Book of Mormon verse as a little more difficult in that sense that I only had so much room on the stocking and if I chose a big verse, it wouldn’t fit.  I had to think of something that would be succinct, but also powerful.  I found my thoughts drifting to 3 Nephi chapter 11 which marks the beginning of the Savior’s visit to the people on the American continent.  As I pursed the chapter, I zoomed in on the verse in which Jesus introduces himself to the people after He appears to them: “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world” (11:10).  I added to pictures I found on the Church website that I felt were appropriate and added the standard Christmas greeting to the toe and viola, I had my stocking.

I didn’t create my stocking to proselytize.  I didn’t expect anyone to come racing to my desk to ask me to “tell them more” about my own faith—and no one has.  Each stocking represented the person who decorated it and I hope that mine serves as a representation of me and who I believe in.  I know I’ve had moments in my work life as well as my public and private life where my actions or words may have made people wonder if my belief is for appearance sake or a truly held conviction.  But I hope that my attempts to make things right after my stumbles have shown the full intent of who the Savior is and what He did on my behalf.  I love the Christmas season.  I am grateful for its reminder of hope and redemption.  Without the birth of the Savior in that lowly stable, I would not have the ability to overcome my mistakes.  Without His condescension to walk among His brothers and sisters and live a sinless life, I would have no hope in returning to my Heavenly Father’s presence.  Why not sum up my feeling of gratitude for Him on a Christmas stocking. J