What a mess! As the family gathered for Christmas at my brother’s home near Yorktown, Virginia, an ice storm coated the trees until they began to bend and break. All across the region the power went out as falling trees snapped electrical lines. The precipitation ended, but the temperature continued to fall, including the temperature inside the house. Our clan had all safely gathered for the holiday meal, and we had an uncooked 18-pound turkey and no electrical service. What would we do as darkness fell and the house got colder and colder? It looked like a Christmas disaster, but it turned out to be a Christmas opportunity.
My sister-in-law found a friend who still had power, so she lugged the big bird off to his house to bake. My brother built a roaring fire in the fireplace and dug out his propane camp stove to cook the veggies. We pulled on sweaters and readied candles and flashlights.
After a late, but bountiful candlelight dinner we gathered around the old piano and sang Christmas carols. “Oh, this is what we used to do all the time,” said my mother, turning to the kids. “You know, we didn’t have TV when I was your age.” The thought put her in a storytelling mood that continued as we moved into the living room and huddled around the fireplace.
We had a most precious and memorable Christmas, all without heat, lights, television, smart phones or laptops. You should try it sometime, and you don’t even need a power failure. Just convince everyone to turn off the TV and cell phones for an evening. Then instead of gathering around the television, gather the gang around the eldest folks or the best song leader or storyteller.
Prepare ahead of time by making copies of Christmas carol lyrics and asking your storytellers to be reminiscing. Pray for a powerful time of blessing and then lead the group with thoughts to share from scripture and the carols: Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord … . (Eph. 5: 18-19)
At the end of the evening you can come back to your phone or your tablet. I bet you’ll have something special to post on Facebook.
– John Sizemore
Director of Publications, Palm Beach Atlantic University