Meet Christopher, the elf. He's eleven years old, but in elf years, more like 60. He hibernates 11 months out of the year, loves to ride on ceiling fans and can be quite mischievous at night. Or, at least he used to be. Christopher was adopted by our family when my son was five years old. An immediate friendship was born between the two of them. The elf went everywhere my son went. Each year, when Christmastime was over, Christopher would have to say goodbye and when he did, left a sad little boy behind.
A few years later, Mittens, the girl elf, was adopted by my daughter. Later, the tiny elf, Bob, Jr joined the family. For many years, this was one of my most favorite traditions at Christmastime. I couldn't wait to see the kids reactions when they arose each morning to see what those silly elves had gotten themselves into!
Fast forward a couple of years. My 16 year old son is now juggling school, work and a social life. Gone are the days of make believe where elves bathe in marshmallows. Oh, how I wish time could be stored in a bottle, as I'm sure most of us do. There was even a song written about it many years ago (thank you, Jim Croce). The more time passes, the more old practices are harder to continue. For instance, out of 42 Thanksgivings I have been able to celebrate, around 40 of them were spent at my grandma's house. Except this past Thanksgiving. My Nana is 91 years old and though she would like to, she doesn't cook anymore. So, I decided it was time to start a new tradition. This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our home. I hope it will be the start of many more to come. It was different but turned out great! It dawned on me that the memories I had tied to previous Thanksgiving celebrations were mine and not my children's. I want them to have their own special memories to reflect back on.
As my son outgrew his sidekick, old traditions gave way to new ones. Things change. Children grow up. Families move. Change can be hard but it can also be refreshing if we have the right perspective.
Wherever we may find ourselves this Christmas, whether driving around to look at lights or we're in unfamiliar territory, let us not lose sight of why we celebrate. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, entered this dark world to be the light everyone of us need. HE is the reason we sing "Joy to the World" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" year after year. Those traditional songs that never get old and never change. As HE never changes. Praise God!
Back to the elf. Christopher has lost an eye and has a terrible skin condition now but he still comes around. A few days ago, I helped him sit in a common area in the house because I didn't know if the poor thing would be able to make it. However, today I wandered into my son's room while he was at school and noticed Christopher was there. I didn't help him get in there. The only thing I can figure is that maybe we don't outgrow everything, no matter how old we are. Turns out this may be a tradition with no expiration date and that makes this mama's heart happy!
