One of my favorite smells of the Christmas season is vanilla. Whenever I use it in baking sweet treats, I always take a moment and hold the vanilla extract bottle up to my nose, close my eyes, and breathe in the rich, comforting aroma. It doesn’t matter if fifteen people are coming over for dinner later or if I’ve got all four burners on my stove going. That smell takes me back to when I used to repeat that same procedure while helping my mom cook in her kitchen. It didn’t matter what else was going on; we shared that ten-second pause to enjoy a whiff of sweet tradition and togetherness. It’s a tradition I’ve happily shared with my daughter.
Gifts to wrap, grocery lists to make, decorations to hang, and errands to run make it so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the Christmas season. Many things compete for our attention, and the demands we place on ourselves can crowd out the real reason for our joy – the blessed birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Stop and smell the vanilla. The twenty-five things on your to-do list really can wait. Spending even just a few moments thanking and praising God for the lavish gift of His Son can provide so much more than a pleasant scent; it can bring feelings of warmth, togetherness, and comfort. So, pause for a moment or two, close your eyes, and take a whiff of the extravagant love God has for you.
Julia K. Hallum 