This year I did what I have always threatened to do. I didn’t decorate for Christmas. Not inside, anyway. Mike decorated the outside of our house so the neighbors wouldn’t think we had Scrooged-out on them, but I joined my oldest daughter in opting out of any Christmas decorations inside other than two tiny, two-foot trees. Not in protest of anything. It just so happens that our family will be spending an extended Christmas holiday in Mississippi (where our first grandbaby is due before the New Year), so it simply seemed like the most sensible thing to do.

I have wanted to do this for years. I’ve come close many times. One year I cut out and glittered Styrofoam decorations to make a Chrismon tree, and another time I talked our entire extended family into spending Christmas in Gatlinburg so we could escape many of the trappings of Christmas. But I have never actually left every single box of Christmas decorations tucked away in the attic. And I am LOVING it! This is, by far, my most enjoyable, peaceful, stress-free Christmas ever. I’m not bogged down with the details that embellish but add nothing to the meaning of Christmas. And I have been challenged to make sure in my own mind that Christmas is Jesus. Nothing more. Nothing less.

In Sunday School we had some good discussion that helped me keep everything in perspective. Sean pointed out that sometimes Christians can get sidetracked by trying to win a “Christmas War.” In other words, our enthusiasm to honor the Savior over Santa or our fight to display the manger can become the main thing. In that case, we're not revealing Christ. We're announcing our crusade. We're making a point.

No matter how we choose to celebrate Christmas, we must not lose sight of a world that is searching for what so many of us have found. People around us are looking for peace on earth and they don’t understand it’s found when Christ rules in our hearts. They long for goodwill toward men and don’t have a clue that the only good in men is the goodness of God revealed in a transformed life.

At Christmas, we are given countless opportunities to unswaddle the One the world has either ignored or failed to see. Let’s not spend our time arguing over whether to say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas.” Instead, let’s greet everyone with the love of the Lord. And then let’s tell them that Jesus did not begin in a manger. Let’s explain that He existed before time began. And let’s share with wonder and awe that He is God, and He came to earth to bring heaven down to us.

Let’s help the world recognize the One who is our Peace, our Joy, our Redeemer, our Rock, our Refuge, our Provider, our Healer, our Protector, our Strength, our Shepherd, our Savior, our King. The Light of the World. The Lover of our Souls. The Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sins of the World. Redemption. Righteousness. Sanctification. Our Blessed Hope.

Santa…snowmen…mistletoe…they are all insignificant. Unless they become the focus. Whether we like them or abhor them, we can make too much of them. All the while, the Prince of Peace lies swaddled, waiting for us to unwrap the greatest gift mankind has ever known.