Debbie Childers: You Gotta’ Hear This — A Crockpot Kind of Christmas

By Debbie Childers
The Alabama Baptist

When I was a child, I remember my mother cooking beans in a vessel called a pressure cooker.

If the cooker operated properly, it would release steam slowly as the liquid in the pot grew hotter and hotter. But I have vivid memories of a malfunction in the system when the steam was not released properly.

The pot shook like an overloaded washing machine and hissed like a snake. The gasket on top started jiggling like a hula girl, and the top exploded off the pot splattering beans on the stove, the walls and the ceiling!

Letting the pressure build

I must admit, that disastrous scene could describe some holidays in my past. It’s easy to let the pressure of the holidays build in us, with no method of release, until suddenly we erupt on those we love most. Christmas can become far from a time of peace in our little corners of the world.

I’m pretty sure God never intended for the celebration of His Son’s birth to include so much hectic activity, frustration and stress. If He had, He would have called Jesus the Agent of Activity instead of the Prince of Peace. Jesus would have made His entrance riding a whirlwind instead of sleeping like a baby. I’m thinking we need a Christmas that looks a lot more like the first Christmas.

Lately, I’ve been trying a lot of crockpot recipes. Now that’s the way to cook. You put all the ingredients in the pot, and let it cook slowly. All the seasoning and juices just melt together. The house smells delicious, and it starves you to death. I just relax while the crockpot does the work.

Slow down

Here’s the best part. I’ve never once seen a crockpot shake. I’ve never had one blow its top. My crockpot has never spewed beans on my walls or ceiling.

I want to try a crockpot kind of Christmas instead of a pressure cooker Christmas this year. I want to slow down and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of this beautiful holiday. I don’t want to hurry through the events that seem to come one on top of the other.

This year, I want to really experience the special fellowship with my friends and family that only happens this time of the year.

And just maybe I can even have some peace on earth instead of beans on the ceiling this year.