We have a leg lamp on display in our western Rock County neighborhood, proudly illuminated in a highway-facing window.
It was a highly-anticipated mail-order gift, and the neighbors (our friends) documented its delivery in a series of group text images.
First came a photo of the “major award” assembled and plugged in. Then, to prove its authenticity, came a photo of the delivery box with large block letters, “F-R-A-G-I-L-E.”
We laughed out loud (LOL) by text.
But not everyone in our neighborhood was laughing. One questioned the “message it sends about Christmas.”
He clearly hadn’t seen the classic “Christmas Story” movie.
We told him to lighten up and suggested he forget about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, too, if he couldn’t appreciate the iconic leg lamp.
It’s worth noting that the leg lamp owners are good and faithful Christians who also have a healthy sense of humor.
But the conversation provoked thoughts of my own about how Christians should display Christmas.
Under the dark cloud of a pandemic in what will be my first Christmas without my parents, I delayed decorating a tree in our home.
After all, does a Christmas tree illustrate the meaning of Christmas?
I found myself again pondering the question Friday night in Kenneth where a hand-me-down tree was loaded with ornaments hung in memory of loved ones.
I joined dozens of people in counting down to the tree lighting in memory of those who passed.
It was a chilly night, but my heart was warmed by the knowledge that I wasn’t hurting alone.
My contribution to the tree was a small photo ornament framing the smiling faces of my mom and dad. It was taken in the summer of 2015 after Mom’s brain surgery (the first of several in her cancer fight) and during Dad’s long hospital stay with a broken leg.
The image captured their resiliency and spirit of hope.
Which seemed to be the case for the Kenneth Christmas tree.
The tiny town gets smaller each time a resident passes away, but on Friday night the spirit of Christmas twinkled in the colored bulbs and on the faces gathered in the park.
Is Christmas about the Christmas tree? We all know it’s not. And it’s certainly not about a leg lamp in the window.
As Christians, we know Christmas has nothing to do with ornaments or trees or things that light up.
Christ’s birth signified hope and peace and the promise that we would never be alone.
So, how best do we honor Christ’s birthday?
We could start by striving to live as Jesus inspires us to live — with kindness, generosity and resiliency in the face of adversity.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Plug in a leg lamp if it makes you smile, but make sure your light shines from within for the true spirit of the season.