A blessing to remember childhood levels of joy in the Christmas season. Today is Saint Nicholas Day, a Czech European traditional feast day of a saint who shared money and gifts with children. Beautiful in tradition.

But where’s the sets of our Saint Nicholas stash now? My St Nick gifts were candy and such back then, but now I think from the American dream of purchasing power in the 50’s 60’s 70’s 80’s plus, our sacks have EXPLODED. And stuff now stashed in our tucked away buckets and bins. Me too. I’ve got my house, and mom’s and a farmhouse and more… not saying that we have to deal with it, but we probably should…

Such treasures are STUFFED and surely the tree and gifts under the tree won’t get there until the tree stand is uncovered – and not just tinsel but a total MOVEMENT of our maybes into motivated movements. Christmas FLASH from the STASH won’t be flailed up until we get the STUFF out. The stash is STASHED… maybe *yes MAYBE* today I plan a half day of work and then HOURS to decorate this weekend, or at least move the buckets downstairs. Saint Nicholas is now crushed in every corner embedded with other stashed stuff. Serious stuff. 

Here is the flipside of us needing stuff: the geyser-levels of GETTING RID OF STUFF. You can’t take it with you and Santa can find you again with new stuff. Time to pare down or just walk away… So, my friend is moving cross country, and needs to STEP AWAY from what she STASHED and STOWED and SHEPHERDED from three families of SWEET memories. Seventy plus years of stuff (I don’t know how long, but SEVENTY starts with an “S” like Stuff)… Sure, well it’s a lot of time for stuff stashing… Vintage and velveteen and volumes and various. It’s now out of the bins and buckets and beautiful in view, set up like a Christmas house tour for an estate sale… First of a series. I make only the marvel here, NO JUDGEMENT no judgement, because my VOLUMES of many generations of St Nick stash is still in stowed away stage. At least hers is out for enjoyment. 

I’m thinking of the joy of a giving house tour, but for her it’s perhaps a time to move forward and sort other stuff…

Volumes of St Nicholas gifts given and gotten in LOVE. 

So let us pause, for in the corner is a special set of sculptures, the reminder of the REAL meaning of Christmas in a beautiful Nativity creche. Here is the reminder of a Savior who saved us from Sin and the worldly stuff that we stash and get stuck in. Me too. We are to know that Jesus SAVES. 

My favorite items of the stuff? The push pin Styrofoam Christmas ball ornaments are among them, that is my vintage classic memory trigger. 

My favorite event of the season? The little baby who saved us, not the stuff. And of the Gift of Jesus Who gave away His most precious self to the cause.

Jesus IS the saving stuff.

Solely.

Amen