When I think of all the creatures typically associated with Christmas, reindeer, elves, and animated cartoons of happy woodland animals come to mind. I even remember how much my service dog, Tucker, enjoyed opening his Christmas toys. 

Every fabric of my being resists being boxed in. That is what the artificial constraints of misguided motives and self-imposed boundaries do to us. They govern our thinking, feeling, and actions for no good reason. We all know the sound of that little voice inside us. It whispers things like, "You shouldn't feel sad. Christians should be joyful," or "what will everyone think if you do that?" or "why can't you be like everyone else and fit in?" No matter how pretty the box is, our desire to please or perform for others is toxic. Such intentions suffocate the Life of the Spirit within us. Creativity dies. When you and I give into such ideas, we sacrifice our unique identity in Christ and His leadership on the altar of fear.