Julie Arduini | Spread the Christmas Joy

The Christmas Iron

With a call to encourage readers to surrender the good, the bad, and---maybe one day---the chocolate, I understand Christmas is not always the fun vision of perfection the coffee commercial that makes me cry each year depicts. I’m living proof that sometimes there isn’t much to celebrate in December and that there are years when surviving is the only goal.

One memory that stands out is the year of the Christmas iron. I wasn’t quite a teen but I was old enough to understand tension. Our family was going through a difficult season that seemed magnified against the Christmas tree and blinking lights. It was a year where I’d later learn marriage held in the balance, addiction ruled, money was tight, and we were all wound tighter than a toy solder’s drum.

Somehow with limited funds we bought Mom an iron. I don’t remember where we bought it or who wrapped it. I don’t recall enjoying Christmas Eve new pajamas or the excitement of waking Christmas morning.

I do remember sitting next to the tree, in complete innocence blurting, “Mom, are you going to open your iron now?”
There was dead silence followed by laughter. Between the stress of our situation and the mood swings of an almost teenaged girl, I didn’t interpret the giggles as laughing with me as much as at me. I was devastated and remember feeling an ache the entire day that I ruined what could have been the one good thing about that particular Christmas.

Looking back, I can smile at my mistake and I certainly rejoice that for all that could have happened after that year, things really turned around the better for all of us. I use that moment as a reminder to never let any situation become so tense that a child is afraid to speak. Even as an adult I’ve had seasons full of loss and change and I was determined not to let anyone feel the ache and worry I remembered carrying all those years ago.

Christmas doesn’t need to be perfect, but I am a big believer in making sure it is a season for everyone to enjoy.

Even if you receive an iron for Christmas.

Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to surrender the good, the
bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of the Amazon bestseller, ENTRUSTED, and co-author of THE LOVE BOAT BACHELOR and UNLIKELY MERGER. She also shared her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway opportunities at JULIE ARDUINI: SURRENDER ISSUES AND CHOCOLATE.

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Julie Arduini | Spread the Christmas Joy

The Master Key 

I was at that fragile age where there were two camps when it came to Christmas. Those that believed in Santa, and those that did not. There were some unpredictable things going on in my life so I was hung on to the believer’s camp with desperation. The magic of Christmas Eve where fear and amped-up anticipation were a rush and I wanted to hold onto it forever. As a child I didn’t know the joy of the season wasn’t about the red suit and reindeer so my goal was to keep hope in his existence alive.

Our class had a reporter from the local paper visit and she had a hard hitting investigation in the works that required our input. When she approached me she didn’t waste any time. “Do you think Santa is real?” I didn’t look to my friends or care about their answers. I replied with confidence that he absolutely was real. She scribbled in her notebook and followed up with, “How does he reach all the homes in one evening?” I don’t remember my exact words, but with my imagination, I’m sure I had Santa time travel all figured out. Her last question was the one where I hesitated because she caught me off guard. She was going to get to the bottom of this mystery and my answers were crucial.

“If a home doesn’t have a chimney, how does Santa get in?”

As I pondered I suddenly remembered the answer my dad gave me when I had asked if Santa was real. I smiled at the reporter and shared the wisdom. “He has a master key.”

It wasn’t long before my mom showed me the paper and the article. Although she didn’t give a definitive answer, she shared my quote about the master key. I was over the moon.

A few decades later I have to say my answer would be kind of the same, it’s the question I’d change. My quest isn’t proving that Santa is real, it’s telling others about Jesus. The joy of Christmas isn’t from watching out for a sleigh, it’s a rejoicing because heaven touched earth. Christ’s birth is the key. Without His birth, there wouldn’t be a Savior. He’s the access to eternal life. No need for chimneys or a ring full of keys.

It sounds cliché but it’s a truth so simple we often miss it. Jesus is the reason for the season.

Merry CHRISTmas!

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Julie Arduini is an author with a passion to encourage readers to find freedom through surrender. Her first Adirondack contemporary romance, Entrusted, gives readers hope to surrender fear. A Walk Through the Valley will soon be available as an infertility devotional with 5 other authors. She blogs every other Wednesday at Christians Read and is a frequent contributor to Jasmine’s Place. To learn more about her writing and love of chocolate, visit http://juliearduini.com. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two children.