It's that time of year again. The time of the year when we completely skip Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations already cram the shelves at stores. Christmas music is already playing. Christmas lists are already being scribbled down. Plans for the holidays are floating around. You know the time of year it is...
For me, it's felt like the Christmas season since August 23rd. Why? Well, I am in the Living Christmas Tree at Ozark Christian College this year. August 23rd, we started singing Christmas selections for the Tree. What is the Living Christmas Tree? It's a 32 foot, ten row high metal frame to which greenery, lights, bulbs and ribbon and the like will be adorned. We have eight performances starting November 29-December 3. It's a play intertwined with choral music. A volunteer orchestra comes together during the last week of October to start learning the music. Each year the play and music differ, this year the whole thing is called "Salute to Christmas" based in a little town in Germany during World War II, and has a slight taste of White Christmas in it's makeup. This is my third Christmas tree at Ozark. I am a senior at Ozark and am looking forward to this being my last tree, as I graduate next December, I doubt I'll be in 2013's Tree. However, I will be there in spirit!
So I am not writing out of exhaustion of Christmas, Thanksgiving and Christmas are my two favorite holidays. I am writing out of appreciation. Tonight after dinner with friends, I walked through the park next to campus and while it was cold out and I dislike cold, winter has always been my favorite time for walking. The air is crisp, the lights are sharper, the stars are brighter, and honestly, there is a deeper stillness to the whole night. I look forward to doing the Living Christmas Tree. It's exhausting and time consuming. And because of the extreme stage makeup required, breakouts and a dry face is expected. LOL! But it's honestly all worth it. The orchestra, the acting, the time put into the decorations, the time spent on learning music, everything...is well worth it when the audience's faces light up and smiles are seen from stage at the drama or the choral piece. It brings joy and happiness and makes every bit of the hard work worth it when we, the choir, know we touch someone's heart and warm it with a smile or encouragement. We don't get to hear the stories or the misfortune going on in the individual lives of the audience. But we get to help bring a message of hope at the beginning of the Christmas season and I for one, am so thankful I get the opportunity. Jesus' birth is the beginning of our hope and each year I am so thankful that God sent his Son to be born for humanity. Christmas is a celebration and a holiday that is dear to me. I love Jesus Christ and the message of Him, is the message we get to share through day to day living and interaction with everyone--Christian and non-Christian!
haha This post developed out of realizing I get an extra hour of sleep tonight. Haha, so I decided to post and share a little of my heart for this season. So next time you start thinking about the upcoming season, remember to spread some "Christmas cheer" but also remember Jesus' love is to be shared all year!
