Christmas is Drew’s favorite holiday. Growing up birthdays, summer vacation, 4th of July, no other holiday came close. Christmas superseded all the other holidays. The Christmas joy Drew enjoyed the most and still does are the lights–lights of any kind, multicolored, white, blinking, not blinking. Lights on store windows, lights in people yards, even the red and green traffic lights make him smile.

But the lights he enjoys the most are those on our Christmas trees. I can never get our trees up early enough for him or take them down late enough. Thankfully, ours are artificial trees so we can enjoy a long season of lights. Drew’s love of lights along with the fact that we have many windows in our home became a tradition we call “spot the reflection.”

If you were to enter our home, you would immediately see a wall of windows. At Christmas time those windows are full of the reflections of the lights from our Christmas trees. Depending on the angle, you see double, even triple reflections of light; many more than are actually on the trees. The windows continue into the dinning room and so do the reflections. We also have glass in picture frames and doors plus mirrors on the walls. Some ornaments on our trees are mirrored balls casting spots of light in every direction. So literally everywhere you look you can spot reflections. We get great joy from walking through our home at night surrounded by reflections. The Christmas tree lights are multiplied and magnified by the windows, glass, and mirrors. Truly amazing to see.

Our lights might not sound very remarkable but seeing the reflections fills us with wonder. The difference a tiny Christmas tree light can make in the dark is amplified by the reflection that is cast. And each reflection is unique. Beveled glass can even cast a rainbow reflection. Stopping to enjoy the reflections gives us time to think about the source of the light and the reflection the light creates.

As believers in Christ, we too are a reflection. How well do we reflect our source of light? Do others see God’s character reflected in the way we live our lives? Are God’s love, joy, and peace multiplied and magnified in a way that others would spot us as a reflection of God?

Our tradition of “spot the reflection” challenges us to “reflect” on our own reflection.

“So all of us who have had the veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)