“But the sun of righteousness will rise on those revering my name;
        healing will be in its wings
            so that you will go forth and jump about like calves in the stall.” Micah 4:2

Ah, Christmas decorating, gotta love it. For Rebekah and me it involves, first, completely messing up the entire house (especially now that all of our Christmas stuff lives in a storage unit), then playing all of our favorite holiday music while we take a good seven days to reassemble our home.

Favorite seasonal music includes Handle’s “Messiah,” “The Christmas Sessions” by Mercy Me, James Taylor’s “A Christmas Album,” Sarah McLachlan’s “Wintersong,” some amazing acoustic “Holiday Guitar” by Dan Crary and other classics such as Kenny G, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and – this year’s new album – Jake Shimabukuro’s “Tis the Season.”

Decorating is a team experience but Rebekah is the design genius. She knows exactly what she wants and she can see it in her imagination. But then we stand around scratching our heads trying to figure out how to implement the vision.

I have also discovered that, “I want that quilt hung all the way up to the ceiling” calls for an entirely different skillset when the ceilings in question are not eight but twelve feet high.

Hence the new ladder (not that little one, that’s for the elves). And new ladders can come pretty quickly in a small town. As in, “We’re going to need a ten-foot stepladder,” followed by a visit to the Ace Hardware website, followed by a call – just ten minutes later – from the owner of the store saying, “Hey, Derek, I can have that over at your house in ten minutes if you want…”

Here, by the way, is a pro-tip for decorating. If somebody tells you, “Please drill a couple of big holes exactly 54-inches above this point…” it may be a great idea to ask, first, “Did you mean 54 inches or, maybe, five foot and four inches?” before drilling said large holes.

Because apparently feet and inches are open to what I am calling, “wanton decimalization.”

But – at least for this day – we prevailed. Holes can be taped over. New holes can be drilled. New holes were drilled. Quilts are now hung. Ditto in the front entry. Only here we doubled-checked the measurements first.

Is it excessive if it tells the right story?

I have been thinking about all this festive bling. Some of it, I know, is simply because we live in this consumer-driven culture where more always equals better. We all know how the “buy more” math works: if 500 lights is good, then 2,000 has to be better, right? If one tree is wonderful, then two or three or more must multiply the effect? If buying a couple of gifts shows love, then buying a dozen must mean we love them more?

At the same time as acknowledging our tendency toward excess, there is something else at play too, something truly representative of the season. I believe the birth of Jesus is the most spectacular and illuminating event in the history of humankind! I believe the glory and the wonder of God’s love for us is worthy of every volt and lumen and wattage of brilliance we can muster, and if we put a million lights on our house it will never be enough! I believe that when the angel choir splashed music and light and splendor and adoration across the skies above Bethlehem it was a super-nova of over-the-top Christmas bling!

The Glory of the Story:

I guess what I am saying is that Rebekah and I feel the glory of the Christmas story deep in our hearts and we want to express the truth of it, and sometimes it is all but impossible to hold back.

So go for it this year, splash light and festivity all over your house, party with your friends and sing your heart out at church – knock yourself out!

Only lets make sure we are clear on the message, clear on the promise and the hope, and committed not only to following the star to the manger, but also the Christ-child along with the teachings, the love and the goodness of Jesus.

I promise a complete Maul-Hall tour when we are done! Watch this space – DEREK