Saying Goodbye to the Old

Never before have I contemplated the song Oh Christmas Tree until now. Not just appreciating the words, but really appreciated the tree itself. You see, my family and I moved 1,000 miles away from everything we have known. 1,000 miles away from our home and family. We are in this beautiful, majestic, mountainous heaven of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I’m awestruck by its grandiose view. The air is amazing. At 3,000 ft plus elevation, a deep breath is a dream. One thing I love about being here is that this community promotes small business. They have specific laws about big box stores, the environment and protecting their Blue Ridge view.

The Christmas tree is an industry here. I know of at least ten Christmas tree farms within a 20 mile radius. I have met people that work at a tree farm year round. I find myself asking what would you do all year let alone all day at a tree farm? These people take Christmas trees seriously. As my Dad would say, “Its serious business!” I mean, I think someone would pull a shotgun on some low-down-sneak-of-a-Christmas-tree-thief.

However, with this booming tree business, comes a price. An actual monetary price. I’m talking double the price for cut your own trees. Like $10 per foot price. They don’t even cut it down for you. I know, I know, that’s the fun of it. What’s Christmas tree ‘shopping’ without the sled, rope, and saw? I absolutely love this tradition. I don’t enjoy, however, convincing my husband that my tree choice is the best and that it will certainly fit in the house. After all, Mother knows best about these things.

This year, we were so broke that I settled for our little, smallest-tree- we’ve-ever-ever-gotten tree after searching in the woods for 2 hours for a free one. I was so sad about the cost of the tree that I was actually going to settle for a Charlie brown Christmas. I just couldn’t do it. I really tried. I even chopped one down myself and dragged it home only to find out that it was too big of course. We placed it perfectly next to our kitchen counter. (Seriously joking) It looks so out of place in our humble rental, but it has been the best blessing to me this Christmas season. I say this because although it is oddly placed in the worst spot, it is perfectly placed. Perfectly placed so that every time I go to do the dreaded dishes, I take in the most beautiful aroma of the season. How l love the sweet pine smell. It is bitter and sweet. Sugar and spice. A fragrant aroma of all things simple and delicate, breath and life.

I despise taking down the tree. It really makes me sad. Like I’ve lost the physical symbol of the joy of giving. Some years I feel like crying. Honest to goodness tears at saying goodbye to a dying, dry, splintery tree! How can this be? I think we need the physical picture sometimes to remember the eternal. We go about the rest of the year, forgetting the surprise, the joy and laughter that the season brings.

My husband says he was taught as a kid that it is bad luck to bring the old into the new. In other words, you can’t leave your beloved tree up past New Years Eve. I hadn’t even thought about this until he mentioned it. I just can’t make myself part with the lights. I like to take the Christmas removal in slow steps. I begrudgingly haul all the boxes out and pack up the tree first. Then the trinkets, then the lights last. This process takes me about a week. I think my husband cringes inside at my snail-slow ability to let Christmas go. You see, I love Christmas so much that I could binge watch every single Christmas movie. And then start over.

Then I started to think…maybe there’s a point here…we shouldn’t drag our old stuff into the future with us. After all, doesn’t this dim the light of our future? We hang onto the regrets of our past, those mistakes we made, that person who hurt us, that forgiveness we refuse to give, our unmet goals, and we carry it around with us until the load gets too heavy to carry. We think because it is a new year, that we will start fresh and those weights will be in our rearview mirror. The truth is, we can’t move on with a light load, with health, vitality, and wellness, until those things from our past are laid at the cross. We receive grace to give it back out.

The Bible gives us hope of a light burden; “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

This is a well-known verse, but just this once, let’s look at it with a fresh perspective. Take time to really meditate on what a light load would mean for you. What are you holding onto that is weighing you down? Past hurts? Unforgiveness? Regret? Fear? Doubt? What one thing can you do today to turn your heavy load over to Jesus? How can you freely receive grace and freely extend it?

Oh how I long to live like December all year. It is January 3rd…Now to take down the beautiful, overpriced, beloved tree knowing full well that my daughter will be sad to see it go in the morning. Now that I am armed with a fresh perspective, I can approach the New Year differently. I don’t have to literally hang onto that last season I was in. Clinging to the past, we can never make room for the future. I can approach this new season with a new lens and a light load.

#brightfuture #lightload #freelygivefreelyreceive #ditchthepast