A Homespun Christmas

A friend popped in the other day. "Oh, your tree looks beautiful," she exclaimed.

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My eyes swept the room. The tree, artificial and dotted with a variety of lights, ornaments, and memories, stands not-so-tall by the piano. The mantel houses a simple manger scene with figures my dad cut from wood and painted. On the opposite end, the small watercolor  created by a daughter in junior high stands propped in its traditional place. A ceramic Christmas village  graces the top of the china cabinet. A garland dresses the piano along with a few candles here and there. Hand-knit stockings hang from the  chimney with care . . .

"Thanks," I replied, meeting my friend's eyes with a smile. "Rather homespun . . ."

Our Christmas décor would never win an award or be featured in a magazine. But, to me, it feels comfortable. My friend understood. She talked about the history of handmade ornaments on her tree, too. Each one telling a story.

I suppose a family's Christmas decorations and traditions tell a bit about them. Guess we're the homespun type. Simple and unsophisticated, by definition.

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With only one teenager left at home now, we've developed the habit of filling our dinner plates in the kitchen and eating by tree light, holiday music playing in the background. Somehow the lights and the candles have a way of easing away the cares of the day. We're surrounded by memories of Christmases gone by. And we remember the birth of a special baby, who began his earthly life simply and without sophistication -  tucked in a manger and wrapped in homespun strips of cloth. Our Savior, Christ the Lord.

What story do your Christmas decorations tell?