"Will you be decorating your front porch this year as well?". This was the question our neighbor asked Tim in Japanese on a random meeting in the open stairwell. We've only greeted this neighbor a couple of times and don't even know her name. But somehow the Christmas decorations we had put near our front door entrance were remembered. Probably because no one decorates outside, let alone inside, for Christmas.
Last year we had been to the mountains in December so I had brought back some evergreen branches and stuck them in a pot on the stair landing. I wasn't planning to do anything this year but since our neighbor asked, I went scrounging for something festive. A potted tree got moved to the front as well as some lights and makeshift ornaments. (You can actually do a lot with paper ribbons and plastic balls.) It ended up looking quite cheery and I admit I enjoy it each time I come home.
Making this little extra effort of Christmas celebration will give us the opportunity to take our neighbors some banana bread and a gospel tract near Christmas. We pray daily that the Lord would give us connections with those around us and that we would somehow be used to bring light and hope to the darkness around us. May we shine, even if dimly and seemingly unnoticed, the light of Christ this advent season.
