The Standard December 9, 2023
In our home we decorate for Christmas after Thanksgiving and after our daughter’s November 26th birthday. She grew up with this, and now insists on it. Last week after I had trimmed the den tree and had put out my grandmother’s creche and a few other decorations, I was thinking how nice things looked and how surprisingly easy the process had been. The next day, I realized there were still several large, full Christmas bins hiding underneath a bed. Obviously, it was time to thin out our supply.
Marie Kondo, a tidying guru, wrote a #1 New York Times bestseller in which she recommended pulling out all clothes or all books or all items in any category and asking one simple question of each thing. “Does it spark joy?” That woman sure must have an amazing wardrobe! My husband said he wouldn’t have any clothes if he had to apply that standard. Should we really be so invested in our clothing and belongings, anyway? That’s a high expectation for inanimate objects.
A tidying, anti-clutter expert who predates Kondo is Maria Cilly of Brevard, NC. On FlyLady.net she has amassed quite a following and encourages people to set an alarm for 15 minutes to attack certain zones in the home. To Cilly, “STUFF” equates to “Something That Undermines Family Fun.” She says one can’t organize clutter and recommends getting rid of things. If you repeatedly dust knickknacks, you might be prone to questioning what constitutes a worthwhile pursuit.
Certainly, there are those in the U.S. who do not have too much stuff. A lot of us can’t afford to buy and keep only items that spark joy. Still, there are many of us who simply own too much. At the holidays especially, our possessions and shopping can rob us of the joy of having time to focus on God and on people.
”And he [Jesus] said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of their possessions.’ And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for themself and is not rich toward God.’” (Luke 12:15-21)
Of course, we will enjoy giving and receiving gifts in the next few weeks. The deepest sense of joy, however, will not come from things but from celebrating God’s gift to us in Jesus and through sharing that love with others. Let us spark meaningful joy this Christmas.
“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:9-11)
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