A Star Reminds Me...

I was reminded last week of a story.  (I love stories!)  It is a true story and also a precious memory.  In the spirit of the advent season, I thought I would share it.  It is the story of how we came to own this tacky, and slightly gaudy, little Christmas tree star.

Many years ago, Bobby and I were spending our first Christmas together as a couple.  We had decided that we were not going to do Christmas.  We planned to just let the season and the day pass us by.  There were many reasons for this decision.  For the purposes of this story, you should know that we were flat broke, poor, no money.  We were living in a rent-by-the-week mobile home on the edge of small town Mississippi.  We didn’t have the money to do Christmas.  (Or so we thought.)  It just seemed much easier to do nothing.

We stay firm on our no Christmas decision.  Until December 24^th.   Late afternoon on Christmas Eve, we drive pass a store advertising Christmas Trees at 75% or 80% off.  I don’t remember who but one of us said, “We might could afford a tree at 80% off.”

So we turn around.  We walk through the few trees that were left and find a small heavily discounted tree that we could afford.  If you picture Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, then you get an idea of what this tree looked like.  But it was our tree – our very first Christmas tree!  We put it in the car, and head home. 

That’s when we remember that we do not own any ornaments or decorations.  So we stop at the dollar store.  Now I don’t know if you have ever been in a dollar store 30 minutes before closing on Christmas Eve.  If you haven’t, try to imagine a scene of chaos and mostly empty shelves, with employees who really want to close so they can clean and go home. 

(This is an excellent moment to pause and say a prayer for all the people who work in retail during the holiday season.  It is a tough job with long hours, low pay, and too many grumpy customers.)

Anyway, there we were, picking through what was left of ornaments, lights, and tinsel.  Thankfully most everything is heavily discounted for the last minute shoppers like us.  We manage to scrounge together a few things which look somewhat decent, including the tackiest looking star for the top of the tree.  

Once home, we put on some Christmas music, made some hot chocolate, and decorated that little tree with the dollar store ornaments.  It wasn’t much but all the tinsel reflected the lights, the ornaments were colorful, and at the top the multi-colored lights of a little foil star blinked.  We sat on the couch together enjoying the view.  We didn’t have much that year.  We had a lot of problems and no gifts to give.  But we had each other and, at least for a moment, life was good.

Over the next twenty plus years, our lives changed in many ways.  We worked through most of our problems, we learned to follow God’s leading, and we were able to afford bigger Christmas trees and nicer ornaments.

Some things didn’t change and became a tradition with us.  At some point in December, we would put on some Christmas music, make some hot chocolate, and decorate our tree.  And for twenty some odd years, at the top of our tree, we would place this tacky tinsel and foil star with multi-colored blinking lights.

Bobby would pull the star from its box and we would tell each other the story of how we got it. Over the years it became a tradition.  That star holds many memories and was a reminder to us each year of how much our lives had changed, a reminder of God’s blessing and provision.

Even today, when Bobby is not here to open the box, that star still serves as a reminder to me.  It reminds me that what can look like the most imperfect Christmas today can well become a perfect Christmas memory in years to come.  It is a reminder that the best gifts are love and hope.  It is a reminder of the most perfect Christmas story when a baby slept in a manager under a star in a little town called Bethlehem.   

Merry Christmas to you all!  May the star be a reminder to you of the angel’s words,

“There has been born for you a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord.”