The after-Christmas shopping therapy project was a success, at my house. Well, at least for the girls at my house. Three days after Christmas, we girls put on our hiking boots and set out for the mall, for our biggest bargain-hunting day of the year.
The girl child scored big. New jeans. New blouses. Jewelry. Smell-goods. The list goes on and on. And because we bought it after Christmas, most of it was at least 60% off. Not too shabby.
I didn’t do badly, either, though I only had one thing on my shopping list.
Pajamas.
That’s right. Every year I like to buy the comfy, cutesy, cozy kind of pajamas that invite evenings of curling up in front of the fire with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book. Not that we have many occasions to build a fire here in Texas. But it’s the thought that counts, right? The kind of pajamas that cover more than a nun’s habit, that keep you warm even when you accidentally kick the covers off in the middle of the night. That’s the kind of jammies I like to buy right after Christmas, when I can get them for 75% off or more.
I don’t always sleep well. There’s something about getting my body still that makes my brain go into Zumba mode. But there’s just something about new, soft jammies that make me feel peaceful, as if all is right with the world, even if it isn’t. For some reason, when I’m wearing brand-new jammies, I feel wrapped in comfort, and I sleep a little better.
It’s a kind of game I play every year, to see what kinds of high-fallutin’ brand name jammies I can get for a next-to-nothing price. This year, I got two sets – one flannel, one cotton – originally priced at $60 a set, from Macy’s. Wanna know how much I paid for them?
Do you?
Yeah, I know you do.
I paid $15 a set. Seventy-five percent off, baby. Not bad. And every night since then, I’ve slept like a baby.
Especially when you consider babies don’t sleep that well . . . but they sure do dress comfy!
But even if I hadn’t found my bargain jammies this year, and had to settle for the old ones from last year, it would be okay. Even in faded, dryer-worn pajamas, I can feel wrapped in comfort and love. After all, the true Source of peace and rest isn’t found in fabric content. It’s found in the One who created me, Who loves me more than anything.
That’s right. When I can’t sleep, He wraps His giant arms around me and gently rocks my soul. He sings soft lullabies into my spirit, and whispers words of comfort and assurance that all is well. And I don’t even have to wait for the after-Christmas sales; His tender mercies are new every day, and He already paid the price. All I have to do is be still, and let Him envelop me with His unending, peace-filled love. And that, my friends, makes for much better rest than a new set of jammies.
“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” Matthew 11:28.
My pj drawer is also full of comfy warmth. Often, I don’t want to change into stepping out clothes. One may even catch me at a local coffee shop in flannel pj pants, or on a late night Ghirardelli run. But these activities are normal in a college town. Jammies rock!!
Sweet dreams!
Renae,
This rocks makes me want to start a Pajama Game, no one to shop with . Wished I had fire place, yes He is the only one to wrap his arms around us and comfort us, all we have to do is ask.