A New Ornament Each Year

From the time each of our children was born, we have given to them each year a new ornament to hang on the Christmas tree. It began with the Hallmark ornaments that noted each of their first five Christmases. It has then continued with a new ornament each year to hang on the tree and then be stored for the rest of the year in their own box. When it’s time to decorate our Christmas tree, each of them (and now their spouses alongside of them), take their box and decorate one part of the tree with their set of ornaments.  And, we continue to give to them an ornament each year; the only difference today is that, now that they are married, they get to take the new ornament to their home to hang on their own Christmas tree.  

As I look at the various ornaments on our tree, many of them bring back memories of years gone by. They help me recall the times when our children were yet filled with the awe that Christmas just naturally brings a child.  As we hang the ornaments collected through the years, my mind can’t help but go back to the days when Kim and I were sneaking around on Christmas Eve, filling the stockings and putting the gifts under the tree as we tried to give the impression that it all just magically showed up for Christmas morning.  I think through those early childhood years then bleeding into the teenage years and eventually in young adulthood.  Life was changing; our family was changing. Life has moved on. However, in the midst of all the changes, as we hang the ornaments collected through the years, we feel a sense of history, stability, and maybe even a little bit of comfort and peace. 

We all know we live in a world that is constantly changing, not only on the macro level but as well in our personal lives. And sometimes those changes can become a bit unsettling. I know they are for me. Thus, we need aspects of our lives that don’t as readily change. We need some points of constancy to bring a sense of stability into our lives. That’s where even the smallest of traditions comes into play, like hanging up the same Christmas ornaments year after year. 

Most importantly, in the midst of an ever-changing world, we can hear God’s reminder to us, “I the LORD do not change.” (Malachi 3:6 – NIV)  We read in the Psalms of God being likened to an immovable and unchanging rock. And we read in the New Testament, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)  In the end, God himself becomes our greatest point of stability, constancy, comfort, and peace; in the midst of all the changes that life brings our way, he is the One who will always be the same and thus One upon whom we can always rely.   

So this Christmas, maybe even as you look at the ornaments on your Christmas tree, take some time to reflect upon the fact that in the midst of an ever-changing world—in the midst of your ever-changing life—we have an unchanging God upon whom we can build our lives. 

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris