Savor
Stop. Don’t hurry to box up the ornaments and purge the regalia from your home! Early on the 26th day of December, a national morning show featured an expert happily talking about packing away decorations and properly disposing of your Christmas tree. “It’s time to move on” was the clearly communicated messaging. I want to suggest a different message.
The word savor is often associated with a fine meal and it means to let a food linger on your palate so you can fully enjoy the flavors. Meditate might be an appropriate synonym for savor in the spiritual realm. My favorite is ponder because I love thinking about the nuances of verses knowing there is always more to be discovered beneath the surface.
In liturgical churches Christmas is celebrated for 12 days, made famous by the carol of the same name. Letting the moments of remembering Christ’s birth linger allows the stupendous meaning of this pivotal event to settle more deeply in our souls. So I hope you will join me in slowing down this week and allow the true message to linger longer. Keep the Christmas music playing. Allow the lights and the sparkle to remind you for a few more days that the Light of the World has come and most importantly will come again!