Homebody

Baxter is a homebody. He likes familiar surroundings where he designates special places that are always available to him for certain activities. When I take him out of his accustomed environment, he gets anxious. He doesn’t feel safe. He has to check out the new place, sniffing his way from object to object, corner to corner. He usually tries to find a dark, secluded hiding place for a while—under a bed, in a closet, behind a couch. When Baxter gets used to a new living space, he comes out of hiding and begins to follow his old routines there. He marks out certain spots for naps, observing the outdoors, and quiet lounging. He gets comfortable again and relaxes. I know that Baxter feels at home at last when he lies on his back, with his belly exposed, sound asleep--a funny picture of pure peace.

The holidays are a time for coming home. We seek the familiar, the tried and true, the safe and secure. We like traditional foods at this time of year, the tastes that remind us of our childhood and the family that nurtured us. We have certain routines we keep from year to year, the people we visit on certain days of the season, the activities we do together, even the movies we watch and the songs we sing. We celebrate the season by repeating certain customs that have come to us from others through the years.

But the holidays also hold changes each year. Loved ones who have died are not at the table or around the tree this year. New marriages and new families within the family may change the routines. Children call for many adjustments in schedule. Distances may prevent some people from sharing the festivities as they once did. The new and unfamiliar invade our holiday celebrations. But that is not always a bad thing. New faces bring new company and ideas to the family. New schedules may prove more convenient and comfortable to keep. Traditions from other heritages enrich our own and broaden our appreciation for the various ways to celebrate Christmas.

When Christ was born, He came from the ancient tradition of the Jewish faith where the promise of salvation was first announced and the figure of the Messiah first introduced and developed. In His birth, Jesus brought to this heritage a new dimension, not one that wiped out the past but fulfilled it. The Messiah would win salvation from sin and death for us by becoming one of us, by accepting the dignity and limitations of our human condition and showing how it can become transparent to the divine mystery Who assumed it. Ultimately, this messiah would die on the cross and rise again to transform our condition into the new creation of the Kingdom of God.

In celebrating Christmas,God continues to work through Christ in the same way. As webuild on the traditions of the past to incorporate the new realities of our world today, God is with us to guide our journey. Cherish the heritage we share in faith and family, but keep it alive by opening our minds, hearts and relationships to new ideas, attitudes and experiences with others. The first Christmas worked that way, and it marked the beginning of God’s ongoing work in the world. When Baxter figures out how to marry his old routines with a new environment, he is at peace. When we do the same to celebrate Christmas and to follow Christ faithfully in our way of life, we too find peace.