Still A Merry Christmas

 

             This is the time of year when we Wisconsinites begin preparation for the winter. It is a time of refection and renewal. Winter has always enchanted and challenged us to find new ways to celebrate and enjoy our lives. This year those winter activities we enjoy will be especially welcome and helpful. It is no accident that one of our most joyous holidays is celebrated in the heart of winter. The stories of Christmas – traditional or personal – are stories of kindness and forgiveness and charity. These stories help us understand how we should live and what we should value. Think of all the stories you have heard from friends and family as they remember Christmas celebrations long past. In our family the Holiday season is filled with Christmas movies we have enjoyed over and over.  One of our favorites is The Christmas Carol. (I won’t get into the debate about which Christmas Carol is the BEST. It would take hours!) Most people know this story by Charles Dickens. It is a sentimental story about a greedy, unhappy old man who learns how to find joy by actually seeing the pain and hardship others suffer, especially a little boy who can’t walk. Scrooge realizes that defining joy by how much money you have is misguided and cruel. It’s a great story which explains why it has been so popular for so long. It also has been retold in various ways. One of our favorites is The Muppet Christmas Carol. (I know, I know. Puppets singing?) As most of you know, I am a huge fan of musical theatre having performed and directed musicals for many years. Music can help us feel emotions like no other form of communication. To watch the puppets and live characters, especially Michael Caine, sing and dance the traditional story of Christmas Carol is to understand it in a new way. Now, take this moving interpretation of that old story and place it at the end of 2020 and we are reminded that the best stories are eternal.

None of us could have imagined a year ago what challenges we would face in 2020. How could we know that we would watch as hundreds of thousands of people, some our friends and family, would perish from a dreaded virus? How could we know that many in our communities would suffer from loss of income and security? How could we know that everything we thought we knew about our “American Dream” was suddenly in question here at home and around the world? How could this be happening and what do we do about it? I think the Christmas Carol story can help.

While I think it is interesting to imagine what would happen to the greedy and unethical if they were visited by spirits from the past, present, and future, I will leave it to others to dwell on retribution. What I am most interested in is the powerful role-models shared by the average people in this story. People who are decent, caring, struggling members of our communities. People who show us what we should value and how we should behave. And this is where the music part of The Muppet Christmas Carol is so helpful.

          One of the main characters in the story is Tiny Tim. Everyone knows he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Crachit. He walks with a crutch and we are led to believe he has a serious illness. This is a family that lives on the edge of poverty and we see how Tiny Tim’s illness affects the whole group. And yet – the family strives to see goodness and when they come together to offer a blessing before their Christmas meal, they sing these words – (remember this was 1992)

Bless us all, that as we live

We always comfort and forgive

We have so much that we can share

With those in need we see around us everywhere

Let us always love each other

Lead us toward the light

Let us hear the voice of reason

Singing in the night.

Let us run from anger

And catch us when we fall

Teach us in our dreams

Bless us one and all

As we approach Christmas this year, I hope we can all heed the words of Tiny Tim and his family. I know it can only help.

 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.