Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Christmas Tree (10/09/08)
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TITLE: An Absentee "Trismus Tree" | Previous Challenge Entry
By Larie Norvell
10/16/08 -
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“Why we don’t have a trismus tree?”
My three-year olds’ question caused me to recall childhood memories. On the 25th day of the last month of the year, my siblings and I would hurriedly eat breakfast and don the pre-selected, mother approved clothing that had been neatly pressed and laid across the dresser’s top. This seemed to be the only morning of the year that mommy would put extra piggy-tails in our hair! Once our parents gave the okay, we pushed our way past one another to see what we had gotten. The gifts were strategically placed so that each child would immediately find the unwarranted gifts first: shirts, socks, undergarments, mittens and hats! In the very back of that ornately dressed tree, which by the way, never seemed to need watering; not even while it was packed away in that dented, torn box that daddy re-taped every year! Oh, so back to the “abyss”, the gifts that we actually wanted were planted in the back of the tree! So we had to open those last, BUT, after we walked the imaginary runway to showcase our new winter garb.
“Why we don’t have a trismus tree?” Evelyn’s second questioning jolted me back to the present. Anthony and I said that we decided not to participate in the celebration of Christmas.
“Why?”
“Well Evelyn,” Anthony began, “we did research on Christmas’ origin because some of the things we were doing did not make sense. We learned that a group of people noticed that the evergreen tree did not die like other trees during the winter. It remained green all year long! Because of this, they began to worship the tree…
“Only worship God,” Evelyn reminded us.
In Anthony’s ear I whispered, “So she does listen to us. WOW!” We thanked her for reminding us and she proudly said, “You’re welcome. Why they didn’t do it?”
“They thought the evergreen tree had special powers to be able to live like that. So they would have a celebration in the wintertime for the tree. They would give gifts to the tree and place them under it. And the tree would be decorated too!” Some people began to observe…
“What ubsverv mean?”
“In this way it means kinda like act like. People started to act like it was Jesus’ birthday on this same day by celebrating His birth since the 25th was already a holiday. Now mommy and I know that God wants our first-fruits and we disappoint Him when we do not do that, (Genesis 4:3-5). We feel that by celebrating Jesus’ birthday in ways of a traditional Christmas would be giving God sloppy seconds. Everything that God gave us is the best. He gave us Jesus’ blood, remember we told you that Jesus is God’s only son, (John 3:16).”
“Yes, I remember that daddy. Jesus rised on the thurs-day!”
“Uhhhhh, yeah, the third day.”
Our daughter is now five and she still asks us about celebrating Christmas. We have noticed that she is retaining more of what we teach her. So when Evelyn asked, “Can we just decoration our house?” We explained to her that most of the Christmas decoration ideas came from the “Trismus Tree” worshippers that were symbolic of what they used for their celebration. The symbolism means nothing to us because we are in Christ, (Romans 14). However, we have noticed that the effort put into preparing for Christmas is a slap in the face to our Christianity. During Christmas, it is very noticeable who acknowledges it by way of the decorated house, the gift -wrap purchases, and cheery greetings, (Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays).
How elaborate is the effort I put into my Christianity? Okay, not even is it elaborate, but is there even an effort to display my devotion to Christ? Is our home decorated in a way that strangers would know that Christians occupy it? What do my purchases say about my being a disciple? How did I greet the cashier? Did I even greet the cashier?
This home does not reflect a celebration of our Risen Savior. But ignorantly, 8 years ago, our house manifested that there was not “An Absentee Trismus Tree.”
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