Tis the Season...for Disappointment

Have you ever stopped to consider the journey of the Magi from a slightly different perspective? Do you ever think about the disappointment these men must have experienced. Think of the
hundreds if not thousands of miles they traveled by camel only to discover that the star had come to rest over a stable. They had followed a star and found a stable. Wouldn't they expect a palace or perhaps a stately mansion. Can you imagine their vast disappointment as they look down from a Judean hillside only to realize that their destination was a stable.

What disappoints you most often during the Christmas season? Why do you think it affects you the way it does? Would asking the right questions, being persistent and remembering the reason for the season help with your dissappointment?

'Tis the Season...for Stress

The humorous story is told of the young lad who in singing the classic Christmas song Silent Night, insisted on ending the chorus with "sleep in heavenly beans." His sister, tired or hearing him goof up the song, elbowed him one day and said, "It's heavenly peas not heavenly beans, silly!" The way many of us feel by the time Christmas arrives, the song might just as well end with beans or peas instead of peace which is the promise of the season. The reality is that in the frantic rush to get everything done the peace and reason for the season often eludes us.

What causes you the greatest stress during the holiday season? Is it the hectic schedule, the gift-giving or maybe the relation challenges? Perhaps we can dialogue as a community of faith about how to make the holiday season one that focuses on "the most important thing!"