It was our first Christmas married. Our first house was small and didn’t have much room for a Christmas tree, but I found one that would fit in our living room without taking up too much space. It was small, so it didn’t cost much. We got it home, put it in water (it was the first and only live tree of our marriage!) and started decorating.
We strung lights, hung ornaments and re-lived memories of Christmases past. Lots of ornaments had stories. Lots of ornaments had sentiment. It was the perfect first Christmas tree for us…almost.
We finished decorating and I stepped back to take it all in. But something was missing. It didn’t take long for me to tell Chad that we had to get a tree skirt. In all of the decorations that we brought together in our marriage, neither of us had a tree skirt. And I NEEDED a tree skirt. I still don’t know why that was so important to me.
But all of the expenses that come with a new marriage plus the expenses that come with Christmas made that tree skirt fall low on the priority list. I wasn’t pouty about it AT ALL {insert sarcastic tone here}.
I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew every detail of what my tree skirt would look like. And the more I searched the more that tree skirt seemed out of reach. Apparently my perfect tree skirt was going to be pricey. And pricey wasn’t in our budget.
Christmas day grew closer and so did my wanting for a tree skirt. It wasn’t a need that was going to make a difference in our Christmas at all. There was still family. There were still wrapped presents. The sweetness of a newborn who would change the world was no less significant because I didn’t have a tree skirt. But in my heart I so wanted one. The perfect one.
Just a few days before Christmas, I wandered into a local store to pick up some last-minute something. As I looked for the shortest line to check out, I found it to be in the Christmas section. So I headed to that register to check out. As I walked that way, I thought I may as well look at what tree skirts they had left since everything was pretty well picked over. I decided before I even hit the aisle that if I could just find a tree skirt that wasn’t ugly and that was cheap, I’d buy it. Just to get me through this one Christmas. I let go of having my perfect tree skirt for that year. There’s always the next Christmas, right?
I turned down the aisle with tree skirts and saw it. The perfect tree skirt. The one that was in my head and that my budget could in no way afford. And it took every ounce of everything in me not to cry. WHY would God let me wander to that aisle only to find my perfect, completely-out-of-my-budget tree skirt? WHY, of all the stores I could have gone to, did it have to be that one? WHY did the shortest line have to be in the Christmas section?
I was sad, but I had to get an up close look at this tree skirt. I had to touch it. As I picked it up, I noticed the price of the tree skirt. It was by no means the “cheap” skirt I was looking for, but it wasn’t nearly the price I had found online. My thought was to come back after Christmas when Christmas stuff goes on clearance. Surely it would still be there.
As I started to put the tree skirt back on the shelf, a store employee asked if I needed help finding something. I laughingly responded that I was making my post-Christmas clearance shopping list. And then it happened. She turned and pointed at a partially covered sign that said all Christmas decor was 50% off. 50% OFF!
I worked my hardest to keep my composure as picked my perfect tree skirt back up and all but happy-danced to the register. I completed my purchase and got out to the car and could not even contain my excitement. I got my perfect tree skirt!
As I got home and told Chad my tree skirt story (after securing that baby around my tree!), God spoke into my spirit. He reminded me that once again He is good and gracious and generous. He reminded me that not only will he meet my needs, he will grant the desires of my heart.
This is our 8th Christmas with my perfect tree skirt around our tree. And every year I remember how God met me where I was, lead me to my perfect tree skirt, and made the provision for me to buy it. Every year it reminds me that there’s no need he won’t meet and He’ll even go above and beyond the needs to meet those heart’s desires. In every situation and circumstance He will be faithful to provide provision. Even tree skirt provision.
BethBates.Life 