Katrick: To tinsel, or not to tinsel your Christmas tree
In Christmases past, I’ve come to know and love any number of Christmas trees. They are almost human to me. And not just because of the giant evergreen at the Sheffield Shopping Center, that I visited regularly with my wish list (even before Santa checked it twice). Because of its sheer immensity, I was afraid and could barely speak.
One of ours was a blue spruce that we planted after the holidays. It grew as tall as our two story house. Its branches scraped and scratched greetings on my bedroom window, when the winter winds began to blow. That one scared me too!
Our first artificial tree was not scary at all and looked every bit the part – like bottle brushes that were spray-painted green. My current model, is much more like the real thing. I used to display it in the pastor’s office. But now that I’m an officially semi-retired pastor, my four-footer has found a new home on the front porch. It’s the perfect location to keep an eye on ornaments—and marauding cats.
Something all of my favorite trees of Christmas have in common is that nobody wanted the job of putting tinsel on them. Stringing lights was fun, especially the ones that made bubbles in green, red, yellow, orange and blue. Hanging the ornaments was a family affair, because each one had a story to tell.
But tinsel is boring and tedious. It was always a job for someone who drew the short straw. My excuse for not having it these days is that it’s not good for the kitties to get into.
So why do we even bother with these sparkly strands? Well, according to goodhousekeeping.com, “Tinsel was created in Europe in the 1600s. It was developed by hammering silver alloy until it was paper-thin and cut into strips. People then added it to trees to reflect the flickering of candle flames.”
Come to think of it, tinsel has the same effect on lights and ornaments. It only enhances the breathtaking beauty of a fully-decorated tree.
Another way to look at it is if Christ is, “the light that shines in the darkness (John 1:5),” then you and I are like the tinsel. When we, “let our lights so shine before others, that the others may see our good works (Matthew 5:16),” it is one of the best ways to tell the story of Jesus and his love.
So when you put the tinsel away, save a few strands, and make yourselves into walking-talking Christmas trees all-year-round. Like Mary, the mother of Jesus, let it be a daily reminder that our Gracious and Giving God, provides us with countless opportunities for our “souls (to) magnify the Lord (Luke 1:46),” and be reflections of “the light that overcomes darkness (John 1:5).”
Mark Katrick is a pastor and spiritual director.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Katrick: To tinsel, or not to tinsel your Christmas tree
