The Best Things in Life are Free

I love the smell of free, fresh pine. We went to our favorite tree-buying-place the day after Thanksgiving: Home Depot! Not exactly a working farm but we did get another great deal on a tree. Honestly, I think prices are down this year. It was well under $100 which I recall being the threshold last year. The even better deals are the free cut boughs they leave in a bin for the taking. I return again and again to freshen up my table centerpieces, advent wreath, mantel, outdoor lighting, and balcony window boxes. (Good thing I still have a large vehicle and can transport all this fragrant greenery.) In the spirit of our household pledge to reduce, reuse and recycle, I think my Christmas decorating constitutes at least 2 of the 3 R's. I have a personal challenge to recycle every last shopping bag from my garage this year, when it comes time to gift wrap. Jim has always taken this to new creative heights amazing us with the oddest shaped packages.

Now, the point of Christmas is not solely to save money, however I do take solace in the fact that it can be beautiful, memorable, and aromatic without being costly. As I arranged the free greens I couldn't help but think how little Mary and Joseph had to spend on their new baby. Their nursery was makeshift at best. Their lodging cheaper than budget. What a reminder that God's economy is different from ours. It doesn't require any money at all for Him to lavish us with His free gift of salvation, the riches of His kingdom, or the treasures from His storehouse.

Somewhere in our ongoing quest to learn about the brain as it relates to autism, I recall learning that our earliest memories are lodged in the olfactory sense. There is actual credence to the
benefits of aromatherapy. My mom and I enjoyed 3 days at Lake Austin Spa last month (which was not free). Part of the refreshment came from their lavish engagement of all the senses. We took a meditative walk and tuned into diverse scents in their garden from Texas tarragon to pineapple mint. Their treatment rooms are spritzed with citrus linen spray and lavender towels wait outside the eucalyptus steam room. All this costly invigoration was created originally by a God whose sense of smell must be hypersensitive compared to ours.

He created it all for our pleasure, our healing and as storage files for our deepest memories. How many of your Christmas memories are tied to scents? Of seven layer bars melting in the oven, of cranberry strudel when it's ready, of onions and dressing (ok I'm a foodie), of biting icy air at the back door, of your grandmother's scent, of clove-spiked oranges, of peppermint sticks, of burning firewood, of fresh cut pine?

The Bible says we are the aroma of Christ to those around us. And our prayers reach heaven like sweet incense. This provides numerous and novel ways for us to worship Him.