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Christmas Thoughts 2006 Why have you decorated an evergreen… with ornaments, lights, fake snow, and Mylar plastic tinsel? This tradition of bringing a freshly cut tree into one's home actually originated in Germany, and dates back as early as 700 A.D. In 1880, Woolworth's paved the way for our modern Christmas tree by selling the first manufactured ornaments, which caught on very quickly. Martin Luther is credited as the first person to put candles on a tree, and the first electrically lit Christmas tree appeared in 1882. Calvin Coolidge, in 1923, ceremoniously lit the first outdoor tree at the White House, inaugurating the nostalgic tradition. Fake snow and tinsel... Who knows? It's probably related to the song "White Christmas". As Christmas draws near and the world around me has kicked into high gear, I am inundated with images of romance, gay family gatherings, peaceful snowy days, holiday parties, and so much more. And I am sadly reminded that my life is no match for the Hollywood version of Christmas. Life isn’t everything I ever dreamed it would be and the images of Christmas painted by our culture actually remind me of how distant my life is from those dreams. Then, with a twinge of guilt, I remember that this isn’t the season of Hollywood, it’s not about me, it’s Christmas; my time to celebrate an incredible Savior who came to planet earth to rescue me—to rescue humankind. I am reminded of how faith in my Savior is based on hope! “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 Hope is a state of mind and heart where there is a vision ofr realities that are beyond the physical realm. I have learned that hope doesn’t just happen, either. We must ask the Spirit to give us hope; we have to meditate on Scriptures that remind us of the awesome God in Whom we hope, and we need to take time to picture the reality of what we hope for. It is also essential to remember that we are to hope in God, in His intimate love for us, and in His promises being fulfilled. So often we chose to hope in God for the fulfillment of our own wish list. I am committing myself to seeking what God wants me to hope for in faith this season; otherwise, I’m afraid that my hope would only be for my own list. How about you? What’s God’s Christmas list for you? poem by Amy Stendera e-mail her about it at astendera@worldservants.org