Sheri Wren Haymore

SURVIVE & THRIVE

If you’ve followed my ramblings in this magazine, you may have gathered that my mother was quite proper and a force to be reckoned with. At no time was this more evident than the Christmas holidays. Ruth Howell was known as one of the best cooks in Mt. Airy, and she set an elegant table and greeted guests dressed as fashionably as the First Lady. She decorated our home in a manner that was classy and understated.

All of this came at a cost—to the entire family. During the early 1960’s days of tinsel, every silver strand had to be perfectly draped on the tree, mostly by my small fingers. When tinsel fell out of style, Mother created hand-beaded felt ornaments to festoon the tree. Every carefully curated piece of holiday décor was to be arranged perfectly (and dusted weekly). Candles were lit and extinguished, ready to be re-lit moments before company arrived. The silver was polished, and the linens starched; the goodies were baked; the front door wreath shone in the glory of a spotlight. In short, by the time Christmas arrived, tensions ran high in the Howell household. Can you relate to Mother’s desire to create the perfect Christmas? What drives us to try to pack all the things—the decorations, the gifts, the parties, the community events, the church plays—into a single month? And how do we overcome the perfectionism that can squash the Spirit of Christmas?

I know what Mother would say. She would say that she did those things “because it matters.” It mattered to her that our home was beautiful, the gifts thoughtfully purchased, and the carols sung around the table nightly. She would say that the singular event of the birth of Christ deserves the utmost celebration.

Let’s untie a few of the strings that bind the Christmas story together and see if we can find one to help us thrive during the season.

The Scripture says that Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth…” This was not haphazard. Mary didn’t tear up her robe to wrap her child because she lacked a layette. What we see is preparation. Look closely, and you will see the young mother carefully, tenderly—and with awe, no doubt— wrapping the Son of God with the fabric she had prepared. We read that Joseph, who was engaged to Mary, contemplated what he should do considering her untimely pregnancy. With unwavering faith in God, Joseph trusted the angel who told him to protect Mary and her son. We see him adhering to both law and tradition when he journeyed with Mary to Bethlehem for the tax census, to Jerusalem for the purification offering, and later to Egypt to escape the jealous wrath of King Herod. What we see in Joseph is thoughtfulness.

The language in the story as related in Luke’s gospel is rich with the words that we love to hear at Christmas. Most of us, whether we attend church or not, have heard that shepherds were surrounded by the glory of the Lord. Angels promised the stunned shepherds that the newly born Savior would bring great joy and peace and God’s favor to the earth. I believe these words speak to our hope as humans to experience something beyond what we can see and touch in this tough world. How does our glimpse into the story of the birth of Jesus help us slow down our frenetic holiday perfectionism? I believe that if we can approach Christmas with our minds set on what truly matters, bringing preparation and thoughtfulness into our activities, then perhaps we can celebrate with open hearts. I asked my wise daughter, Carrie Wren, for her insight. She said something like this, “Whatever it is that you’re attempting to create—whether it’s

joy, a sense of wonder, a spiritual encounter—instead of rushing around trying to force it to happen, just be that thing. Connect with people by being the joy, for instance.” Hope. Peace. Joy. Glory. Indeed, these are the things that matter at Christmas. Is it possible to embody these truths as we approach the season? The answer lies in the Christmas story itself: “…and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Every step you take, every breath, as long as you believe, then Jesus is right there with you. Yes, you can be the joy. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Mt. Airy’s Premier Retirement Community 1000 Ridgecrest Lane • Mt. Airy, NC 27030 (336) 443.6953 • Ridge-Crest.com