When you arrive near your destination, you pay your respects to the local king, Herod, and ask where you might find the one you seek. Herod doesn't know, but asks you to inform him when you find out - so he too may pay homage.
You, though, are a wise one. You realize that Herod has no such intention in mind. When you've found the one you've sought for so long, you warn those who care about him. They flee Bethlehem - as do you. You never report back to Herod.
Enraged at the realization that you have fooled him and fearful that he may lose his seat on the throne, Herod calls for the death of the one you seek - even if that means the murder of all male children under the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding area.
The one you sought (and his cousin), however, have managed to escape. And that child, the one whose star you followed, went on to perform great miracles that we talk about to this very day.
It doesn't matter whether you're religious or not, nor does it matter whether or not you believe it actually happened, the Tale of the Magi is a great story. It's a tale of suspense. Intrigue. Murder. A flight to freedom. A story of survival.
But the story would be hollow without the star that guided the magi: The first Christmas light.
Now we've got Christmas lights all over the place. They're everywhere you go. Tasteful or tacky, it's undeniable that they brighten our dark winter nights. We may curse and suffer from frost-bitten fingers when we struggle to put them up in the winter cold, but without them the Christmas season just wouldn't seem as festive.
Yet, I have a problem with all those lights. Not just Christmas lights, but ALL of the lights that shine so brightly in the winter night. Sure, they're bright and they're cheerful (and even useful), but where did the stars go?
The parking lot lights that were installed at the Whitehorse airport are so bright, the stars, shining from millions of light-years away don't stand the slightest chance. (Admittedly, this picture was taken on a cloudy night, so the stars weren't going to be visible anyway.)
We've gotten so wrapped up in our own power-sucking light emitters that we can no longer see the most AMAZING light show in the UNIVERSE!!!
That's why, this Christmas Eve (and every Christmas Eve thereafter), from 10:00 pm until midnight, I propose that we turn our lights off - all of them (road lights, parking lot lights, house lights, store lights, building lights, etc.) - and then go outside to see the stars. Let's look at the real Christmas lights.
Let's let the real Christmas lights shine.
(If you'd like to do your part for The Real Christmas Lights Campaign, tell us how you're going to contribute here.)
