Have yourself a messy little Christmas
No human being would have planned God’s birth this way.   In the first Christmas we can find no superficial perfection, but so much messy, profound and unexpected beauty.   The Gospel was apparently not written     by Hollywood or by commercial marketers. What we’re inundated with on TV, in the flyers that flood our   inboxes and mailboxes and on the internet is fake news.

Real life, even the life of the Holy Family, is messy. […] Christmas reminds us that God isn’t afraid of a mess — that’s where he creates unexpected beauty and joy.  That’s where he comes to be born in us.  He chose to show us through his own birth that there is joy in the mess, peace in the simplicity, and love in the confusion and pain of life. Hallmark can’t market those gifts.

So pray well, throw (and attend) great parties, make delicious cookies and meals, and celebrate with thoughtful gifts and lovely decorations, but don’t worry about perfection. Find and give the perfect joy, peace, and love that Christ makes present in the midst of us, whether life is messy or beautiful. At Christmas, it can be both, because God chooses to be present in that imperfect mix. By Kerrie Rivard

Read the whole article at http://www.regnumchristilive.org/2018/12/19/have-yourself-a-messy-little-christmas/