Purple Haze
Don’t put those boxes into your attics just yet
By Lauren Bagian

Jan. 7, 2010

As I sat in my pew at my little church in the center of Dillsburg, I was a bit intrigued to be watching a Christmas pageant after the New Year. The pageant had originally been scheduled for Dec. 20, but due to about a foot of snow that fell the day before, the pageant was postponed until Jan. 3. I wasn’t sure why; it seemed a bit silly to me to hold a Christmas pageant in January, but it did seem a waste to not have it at all and a big disappointment to the children involved. So I simply ignored my thoughts, opened my mind and watched.

A great deal of Christmas carols were sung by the children, the congregation and the adult choir. “O Holy Night,” “Magnificat” and the classics such as “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” were just a few of the selections. There was also an all-church orchestra, a hodgepodge of brass instruments, a few violins, some woodwinds and even a guitar that played a few songs before the service. The décor complimented the music as all the wreaths and trees covered with ornaments and bows still adorned the church even though my house had already gone through the “de-Christmas-fication” process. It all blended together to create a warm and wholesome Christmas mood.

While at first the whole performance seemed a bit confusing to me, someone who believes that everything has its rightful place and time, I really enjoyed the late Christmas celebration. A few weeks ago I talked about how it is important to not ignore the feelings of Christmas just because Dec. 25 had past, and as I stood in my church, confused about holding a belated Christmas Pageant, I was doing just that and going against my own advice. I was reminded that Christmas is not just a time of year, but a feeling and celebration. Just because it was past Dec. 25, there was no reason why it still couldn’t be revisited 2 weeks later.

Don’t throw away the Christmas cards and bows just yet. Now, there’s no reason that you have to leave your holiday lights up well into July, but the Christmas season doesn’t need to be a distant memory just because it’s January and no longer December. Hold onto the joy and warmth through the coldest months of the year and let Christmas keep you cozy until spring.