Growing up I always looked forward to the month of December. My mom had a special way of celebrating the Christmas season. My two sisters and I would receive some kind of gift every single day of December leading up to the big day on the 25th. As you would expect with the sheer amount of gifts, they were quite small. Sometimes it would be a pen, a pack of ball cards, a couple quarters, a bit of chocolate. But even if it was new toothpaste it was always exciting. A neat twist was that sometimes we would find a note instead of a gift. On that note would be a riddle or clue as to where to find that day's present. What kid doesn't love a hunt for hidden treasure?! Yeah, my mom is pretty great.

There were other traditions. Due to our Swiss heritage we started celebrating Saint Nicholas Day on December 6th. We knew on the night before to put a pair of shoes outside of our bedroom door. As we awoke in the morning we would peer outside our door to find that our shoes were filled with candy and fresh fruit and other goodies. It didn't take me long to start putting my biggest pair of shoes out there (i.e. here come the snow boots!) or even a couple pairs of shoes ;-)

But December 1st was always ornament day; we would receive an ornament to add to our annually growing collection. Often they were tailored to our interests. For example, December 1990 I was excited to have a Cincinnati Reds ornament...celebrating thier World Series run. Another year it was a mini-trombone (for some reason my instrument of choice). I have this picture in my head of one particular ornament. It was a nativity scene engraved into some kind of lightweight metal. And in addition to baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, shepherds, magi, and animals there was of course the star shining down on it all.

December 1st of my youth was marked by the innocent excitement of ornament day and daily Advent presents. December 1st now comes loaded with more complex layers such as World AIDS day and the realization that millions of kids are afflicted with this disease. So life is more complex, but it opens up the door for a richer, fuller beauty. Just like that star at the nativity, the earliest followers of Jesus believed that He was the light shining out of the darkness. And today I'm moved by people who live in the same way - sacrificially, lovingly, longing to make a difference in their community and beyond. Our lives can be a beautiful light shining in the darkness, and that's beautiful.

Labels: AIDS, Christmas