It's hard to say who's more excited about Christmas these days: shopkeepers or little kids. I'm neither, but I do have my share of excitement at this time of year. I've never been a shopkeeper, per se, but I have been a little kid—and I have little (grand)kids, and I teach little kids (and a few big kids)—so I know something of the joy of Christmas presents, turkey dinner, and all that yuletide afterglow.
Most of the rest, of course, is bunk—the trees, the lights, Santa Claus, reindeer and elves-- when it comes to the real message of Christmas, but I won't go there, except to express a brief caveat here:
While there are many things that I love about this season, there are other things really disturb me. I want to accentuate the positive here, if you will, and see what good we can all glean from this season. That stated, Christmas is a historical, biblical event that has been hijacked by the secularists, economists, and fantasists (yes, Maurice, it is a word) with no balanced consideration for the historical perspective, religious convictions, and personal values of others.
I like Christmas because of all the genuine joy that bubbles everywhere. It almost seems that people want to be pleasant, want to wish others a (can I still say this?) “Merry Christmas.” It is such an irritation, even a heartbreak, when anything with the word “Christ” or “Jesus” in it is ruled unlawful or moronic by the petty minority.
I like Christmas because there appears to be an effort to slow down and spend time with family. For many, at least in my circles, it happens year-round, though still not as much as it should—my own household included. People will fly across the country, just to spend time with family at this time of year. That happens at no other time, on such a consistent basis, unless there's a wedding or a funeral involved.
I like Christmas because there's a positive buzz in the air. The buzz, so-called, is more than those ubiquitous Christmas carols: It's the ching-ching-ching of the Salvation Army bells, the hum of all those electronic toys at Toys-R-Us, as they chant “buy-me, buy-me, buy-me”; it's the Christmas decorations on every street lamp that appear to give off a drone (or maybe it's the extra electricity pulsating through the system).
It could also be the sound of a parent trying to choose among three gifts—or would that be “hmmm?”
I like Christmas because it makes students work at something different: Math exams, Socials projects, and Language Arts assignments give way to that greater deadline—the Christmas-Winterfest-Snow Job-Whatever pageant. Lines are to be memorized, props built, songs sung, all for the glorious opportunity to perform in front of fellow-students, teachers, and parents. It also means that two weeks of freedom from the same is just around the corner.
I like Christmas because, in a normal year, there is snow on the ground, a nip in the air, and a crispy crunch with every step—and no, Maurice, that doesn't mean you just dropped a chocolate bar on the ground. You can count on the cold, but not the snow, these days. Christmas without snow is like a vacation without a lake: It just doesn't seem the same. Last year was a case in point: It was so un-Christmas-like without the snow, I almost spent the afternoon cutting the grass--barefoot and in my cut-offs.
I like Christmas because I love the memories we share. These may be fleshed out in a future column. We have developed many as a family, and I'm sure you have, too. One of the traditions I like best is heading into Lethbridge with my three youngest guys, just before the big day. We go Christmas gift hunting at a dollar store—stocking stuffers, to be precise—then head back to the cheapest, quickest place to eat when you have hungry teenagers (Costco). The other challenge in this tradition is trying to squeal appropriately and sincerely on Christmas Day, when one gets the very gift one picked out, paid for, then carried home a week earlier. (“A stapler! Oh, thanks so much, Tom, Dick, and Harry!”)
But most of all, I like Christmas because of the deep spiritual meaning it brings, found in (surprise, surprise) so many of the old Christmas carols. The God Who became a baby in the manger; the angels with their startling message; the shepherds who heard it and responded to it; and the many magi-astronomers, who travelled from as far away as modern Iraq, as they read the message of the newborn king in the sky as well as in the Old Testament Scriptures. These components all add to the factual drama of that special day, so long ago.
I like Christmas, and I trust you do, too. You may have your own reason, and that's okay with me. Make sure you enjoy it with your own special people in your own special way.
And feel free to be a kid again.
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