Coming off of the Christmas frenzy, I always feel somewhat exhausted during the days that follow.
It’s the anti-climax of the whole event. It is the time to catch up on lost sleep. It’s the rebuild of what adrenaline has zapped from our being, yet none of this takes anything away from the Christmas experience. However, each year I feel it. And it is during this time I often think back over the year. It is possibly because my birthday is literally on the horizon and a new year is beginning only days away. It is likely that I have had a wonderful day with loved ones I don’t get a chance to slow down and enjoy throughout the year on a regular basis. And it is most likely that it is when we get still that we can think, really think.
My last column was about the Christmas card. And yes, I did have a few people questioning me about not being in my top 120. Problem solved. But then I was surprised to find that when Clay and I attended our Christmas Eve service at Centenary Methodist Church the theme of the service was on “The Christmas Letter.” The service consisted of references of old mixed with references of current day and was wrapped up by the young Anna Reedy. I felt as warmed as I feel each year watching “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.” I also told one of the ladies at church who picked on me earlier: “That was a coincidence. I guess you know what my column will be on next week.”
It is true that the Christmas card/ Christmas letter is in itself somewhat the spreading of joy and good cheer much like the original news that made its way all the way to the wise men. And it is also true that once again I must revisit the realization that more times than not, the gifts that mean the most to us are those that costs us nothing at all.
I was recently talking to a young person about the importance of the written word. As Christians we know that it is the Written Word that has helped to change the course of mankind. There is something very powerful in writing down your thoughts and ideas. It is much deeper than a text or email that carries with it no tone. One might believe that writing something down would likely not have much tone either, but it does. When a person writes their voice begins to come out through their thoughts and words. A tone takes place that does not develop in a rushed text or hurried email.
But somewhere along the way technology took over and people began to develop a new sense of communication. It is kind of the … / lol / omg / #. And in all honesty the hash tag is something I still don’t get. Every time I try to make a joke and say, “Hash Tag!” The boys laugh and say, “You still don’t get that do you.” I don’t. And when I think back on all the past stories I have heard of servicemen sending home love letters to their future wives or letters of strength to their mother and father to offer them love and reassurance, I think how lost we will be if the written word fades away. As I type this I will admit that my handwriting is pretty much shot after years of typing away on this keyboard. It’s like when I go to write with a pen my hand doesn’t quite know what to do.
I received a very special Christmas gift this year in the form of a letter. And it was filled with tone and voice and love. And it is a letter I will cherish, unlike a quick text or e-mail that will eventually get lost along the way.
I do hope that everyone had a truly wonderful and even exhausting Christmas. I also encourage all of my readers to remember the beauty in the written word and jot those thoughts down to the people you love. Send them their way, and give them a memory to keep.
