Written by Judy Walters from the Village Church.
During my childhood, one of my earliest encounters with Jesus began with a tradition of creating a front door decoration to welcome family and friends to our home during Advent. The scent of fresh greenery from the yard is something I fondly remember.
An exquisite holly tree provided glossy leaves and red berries. We cut sprigs from pines and evergreen trees, pinecones, boxwood, and variegated ivy, which grew on a wall. Nature provided a bountiful array of texture and shades of green. Faux greens and glue guns had not yet been invented, nor were there Michaels and Hobby Lobby to purchase supplies. We used wire and string saved up in the garage from past projects. The only thing purchased was ribbon, unless we had some left over. I recall such a sense of pride and familial unity as Mother, my sisters and I held the greens, while tying and wiring them together in a pleasing way to make a Swag. Then, we attached a bright red or plaid ribbon. Our Dad ceremoniously hung it on the door. Each part of the finished piece symbolizes the Christmas story. Holly represents Christ’s crown of thorns, while the red berries are the Lord’s blood. Ivy represents the Virgin Mary, while Martin Luther believed that pine, fir, and spruce symbolized immortality and eternal life. I continue to encounter Jesus each Advent while creating a fresh swag year after year, and listen to a favorite old English carol, “The Holly and the Ivy,” while remembering our family tradition.
For my father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. [John 6:40]
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