I’m sitting in front of a small mountain of luggage, mostly packed. All that stands between me and the airport is this hill: suitcases, carry-ons, backpacks, blankies, camera case, purse, laptop, lunch box. My husband and I spent the day combing the house for a  whole set of Spiderman underwear, little black tights, a tangle of cords, pairs of mittens, and winter coats in storage….then doing piles of laundry, cleaning out the fridge, running errands, cleaning up wrapping paper, organizing gifts, canoodling every precious item into place and finally ruffling through the bills and receipts and preschool “treasures,” the paper trail of the past week.

Bleh. All this stuff.

Stuff we use to celebrate, stuff to give, stuff to pack, stuff to treasure as a memory, stuff to trash. Stuff. Stuff. Stuff.

It occurred to me that the reason I’m so tired of all this stuff is because I’ve spent the whole month dragging it around, whether that be decorations or food, presents or papers. All our family’s things. All my things.

It makes me think of my dad, who takes a two week vacation and packs two t-shirts, a set of underwear, and a good book. I admire him more and more as the years go on, because I think he has it right:

Pack light.

Don’t drag around too much stuff: not too many things of this world, not too many worries, not too many expectations, not too much striving. The things we should be spending our precious time on don’t weigh a thing: playing with our children, having a real conversation with our spouse, laughing with friends, helping out a loved one, appreciating nature, reading God’s Word, praying. These investments are so light, so freeing compared to the stuff.

When Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem, they packed light: probably just the clothes on their backs and some food, but they had it all because they had the Savior on that journey.

A Savior who freed us from having to make this world our everything, a Savior who saved us from all this stuff as a means to fulfillment, a Savior who gave us something more than all the stuff in the world combined: a restored relationship with our Father.

In light of this, everything else is seen as it is:

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage… (Philippians 3:8).”

And as we make our journey through this December and throughout our lives, we have it all no matter how much stuff we have. The enormity of our blessings in Jesus helps us to loosen our grip on this world and all it contains. It allows us to even keep our hands open, allowing God to give and take what’s best for us.

Christmas with all its stuff is good…and bad…depending on our attitudes toward all of it. If we drag it around, clench it so tightly, demand perfection, and seek to fulfill every expectation, we really end up with nothing but frustration. But if we seek our Savior, we can let go of this stuff, allowing it to come with thankfulness and delight or go with peace and contentment.

To travel through December, it’s simply easier to pack light, right Dad?