Advent II Noise Reduction Christmas

With high hopes, I awakened in my Washington DC hotel room excited to spend the day with my daughter in the city, knowing it would do much to ignite the Christmas spirit within us both. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it past the hotel lobby before wanting to cover my ears and close my eyes.

I enjoy the time before she, or any other member of my family, arises, because it allows me to find a place set apart, grab some coffee, and do my morning reading and reflecting. As the elevator doors opened, however, the music hit me. It was louder than usual, and, as a connoisseur of Christmas music, it was the worst kind - the kind where the artists lean into the lyrics to make them drip with significance, or the arranger changes the rhythm or key to make it sound new and innovative.

The decorations in the lobby weren’t much better. The tree would melt, more than burn, if a match were near, and the gaudy silver balls in the tree made an otherwise appealing space look like a frightfully sophisticated New York department store. The decorators, like the musicians, wanted people to take notice of their work and forced the issue, leaving us with the look and sound of Christmas, but none of the meaning.

It made me realize the challenge facing many of us most of the time. We’re surrounded by sounds and sights that mean well but end up drawing us away from their intended purpose. By being overdone, they push us away rather than draw us in. With increased Christmas events, extra social gatherings, and the need to be sure we wear each piece of our Christmas apparel, and watch every movie, before the season ends, our plates are full, but hearts empty. We end up having the look but none of the meaning.

Fortunately, I have ear phones specifically designed for me and such situations. They are called noise-reduction headphones and they work magically as I seek to remove the sounds that are tormenting my ADD soul. So, too, I have books to read and eyes I can close to shut out the sights that distract as well.

The Christmas spirit is just that, spirit, and sometimes the best way to hear the spirit is to tune sounds out. Sometimes the best way to see it is to close your eyes. Instead of looking to the loud and lively Inn, we are invited out back to the quiet and serene stable, where spot lights give way to candlelight, songs to silence.

It’s counter-intuitive, I know, but so is God becoming human.