This Christmas I would like…
the clear conviction
that beauty is for beholding
and that I don’t have to own
everything that gives me pleasure.
I want to have joy in gift-giving,
seeking to delight those I love.
I would like protection from over purchasing:
and reminders that more gifts
don’t always bring more delight.
I would like contentment this year,
and freedom from envy as I look at things
that I cannot afford to buy.
I would like mindfulness for Christmas,
so that as I shop I can be present to those I meet.
In busy, bustling, boisterous aisles,
I want the ability to touch people gently
with my eyes, not my elbows.
Please give me kind words
to share with store employees
who are often overworked and underpaid.
I would like lots of perspective this year,
to know how fortunate I am,
and also heaps of mercy for those who are less fortunate.
If it’s not too much trouble,
can you give me a sign, maybe a star, this year
that would orient me to the search I’m really on,
the search for a treasure,
something for a wise woman to carry
as she journeys to the birth
of a newborn Saviour.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.