souldare

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:8-14 KJV)

“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” (Charlie Brown)

This was the prompt posed over at Dawn’s today. She’s leading us in a 12 Days Before Christmas journaling odyssey.

In my journal, I was catching up on yesterday’s prompt which asked us to write a list of words that come to mind when we think of Christmas. So I wrote these:

I noticed that Christmas is composed of many things, many memories and ideas, including love and pain.

Christmas, as an experience, changes from year to year. The celebrations, and even the traditions, ebb and flow.

This year, as I approach the holiday season, it doesn’t FEEL like Christmas. Our weather has been sunny and balmy for December. Our kids are grown up and working out their own traditions. Our extended family is scattered here and there. Each year I have to ask myself again:

What does Christmas mean to me? What will the celebrations look like? What kind of gifts will I give or receive? What will I contemplate? What discoveries or ADVENT{ures} will unfold?

To keep track of the season in my journal has become a constant. It is my confidante for Christmas, one which allows me to dialogue over these searching questions.

Another way that I search for answers is through collage. Gluing random words and images to the page, somehow magically allows feelings and thoughts to surface and clarify, much like composing my own words on the page.

Here’s a reflection that juxtaposes the past (history) and future hopes with present desires.

What is my history with Christmas? What is my present hope? How will Christmas look in the future?

As I glued down the words, I realized that I like Christmas to be fun and full of happiness. It doesn’t always work out that way, but I am happy that the Savior came into this world to offer us peace and hope.

More contemplation on that later…for now I’m off to have some fun with like-hearted companions, sporting our “ugly” Christmas sweaters and swapping cookies.

Christmas for me is kind of like a collage, many component parts that make up the whole.