Joseph went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
~Luke 2:5-7 (NRSV)
Growing up in Southern California the idea of a “White Christmas” was mostly just that, an idea! It very very very rarely snows in Los Angeles, and even when the conditions do freakishly come together to allow for a little snow to fall it doesn’t last long at all. Strangely, that never really seemed to prevent us from having the idea that Christmas and Winter were inextricably linked. Surfing Santas and palm trees decorated with lights and ornaments notwithstanding, it always felt like a proper Christmas was supposed to have snow on the ground, Victorian carolers, and chestnuts roasting over a roaring fire.
It wasn’t until my undergraduate years that I fully grasped the depth of this connection while walking along a Boston city street in the evening as a light snow started! Something in me went “Aha! That’s the spirit!!” and I can still conjure that sensation of how right it suddenly all felt!
Our sense of what makes for a proper Christmas is influenced by place, memory, people, and nostalgia—plus a very healthy dollop of twentieth-century popular Christmas music! This season can be truly magical yet also fraught with difficulty. Not everyone feels holly or jolly during this time of year. Moreover, disruptions caused by the pandemic and other challenging circumstances have conspired to make our celebrations both a bit frantic and ever more important. In an uncertain and changing world, we have often been left grasping for some stable reference point…some cherished moment or memory that put things aright.
On Wednesday, December 18, I was delighted to help hand out gifts from our Christmas for Kids campaign to the youth at SFM’s Salina West residential facility. It was a blessing to experience the joy of giving—facilitated by so many gracious supporters who have helped to make this season bright for the youth in our care.
Joined by Santa himself, our team of elves went to each unit singing Christmas songs and spreading good cheer. The children in our care often face many challenges, but we steadfastly believe that they shouldn’t be left out of the joy of Christmas. Several times we heard the youth exclaim, “this is the best Christmas EVER!!!”
Just like on that snowy city street so many years ago, I once again found myself thinking, “Aha! That’s the spirit!!” Certainly, the youth were delighted to receive their gifts, but more importantly they were recipients of the love and care that is at the heart of Christmas—the love of God that never abandons us but rather draws nearer than we could hope for or imagine in the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. A love born out in a very tangible way by how many people stepped up for them this year!
Whatever our ideas about what constitutes a ‘proper Christmas’ we should recall that the first one wasn’t exactly ideal either. But it was the very moment God reached into our world to transform it for the better. I encourage you, this Christmas, to embrace that same spirit of God’s enduring love that drives SFM’s mission to serve the children, families, and IDD adults in our care.
One behalf of all of us at Saint Francis Ministries, I wish you a blessed and happy Christmas filled with hope and healing!
