I love experiencing Christmas with our kids. It’s magical. They love to swing open the lid on our ornament boxes and revel in the color and shapes that lay in layers within the box for their little hands to pull out. Carter pulls out a craft project that he made in kindergarten and excitedly tells me about the day he made it, as he holds it, beaming; he doesn’t know where to put it, so I go up high to make sure it gets the admiration it should! Chloe then spies a photo ornament of her and her friend Lulu, made from photos her mom and I took of them together when they were babies when they visited us; she finds the most perfect place on our tree for it as she backs away slowly, taking in every minute of the most perfect placement for her ornament! Slowly, the tree gets layered with more crafts, ornaments from trips, and ornaments that remind us of some special life moments that we giggle about as we find places for them on branches. Finally, we top the tree with Chloe’s angel that she made at Orange last year, and everyone admires our creation…years of memories and life stories that twinkle against hundreds of colored lights! It’s magical. It’s a mixture of lights, memories, decorations, and even more stories that sweep us along through the Christmas holiday.
Yeah, this year is different; it’s a feeling we are reminded of all the time. But, when the day has wrapped up and the stars are shining against the Christmas lights, one is reminded of that Christmas star that shone on the manger when Jesus was born and guided the wise men to him. And, guess what?! There will be another Christmas star (of sorts) this year! As it happens, Jupiter and Saturn will be so close to each other that they will appear to be one bright star, an event that hasn’t happened in 800 years! Doesn’t that seem magical? In the stillness of nighttime and shining stars, we can feel the awe of a baby being born in a manger under that same night sky and the same Christmas star.
Luke 2:10-11 The angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
While this year has brought many new stories that get added to our memories of the year, I feel the star is just another bit of magic that can carry us and connect us to the birth of Jesus so many years ago.
Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
By Jessica Petty
