The Magic of Christmas

The best recollections I have of Christmas are from my childhood, and I must honestly say that the only way church time really fit into the excitement of Christmas for me was when we went to midnight Mass. For me, it was quiet and reflective. I have distinct recollections of a sense of awe and wonderment during the Mass, the church seemed always much quieter than during a typical Sunday Mass, and of course there was virtually no life outside during that time since most folks were home in bed. I must also admit, however, that the hour-long Mass was a great way to kill some time before Christmas morning!

On Christmas morning there were the presents, and my parents usually went all out for us even though I learned years later that they really could not afford it. I cannot remember a Christmas in which I was ever disappointed for not having gotten what I asked for. And I also distinctly remember opening packages that said, “From SANTA to Michael” and not really caring much about Santa Claus or where the gift came from; I just wanted what was in the box!

Over the years and for a variety of reasons, I’ve grown somewhat cynical about Christmas. I still get a thrill from buying – hopefully – the “perfect gift” for those whom I love, and I am especially gratified to watch their faces light up when I realize I did well with my selection. But something has to happen before I can get very excited about Christmas anymore. That “something” can be almost anything, but it is the “something” which serves as a catalyst that helps me to remember what Christmas is all about.

Many are fond of saying that Christmas is “all about the children”. Others remind us that Christmas is about “family and friends”. The Church, of course, is always there to remind us that Christmas is about the Messiah. For different persons, Christmas can mean different things and not all necessarily good things. I remember an episode of the popular TV show M*A*S*H in which a soldier was brought to the hospital having been severely wounded in battle – on Christmas Day. Even though the situation was hopeless, the doctors worked tirelessly to try and keep the soldier alive until the day AFTER Christmas so that his family would not always remember Christmas as the day when their loved one was killed, but we all know that there are many in real life who have experienced tragedy even on Christmas Day.

But whatever Christmas is all about to any one of us, there is an element of magic that gives Christmas its special place in our hearts. It does not matter whether we are talking about the “magic” of the birth of the Savior or the “magical” myth of Santa Claus. There is a mystical, almost surreal quality about Christmas that makes us want to be a little friendlier, a little more generous. It is a time of year when many of us realize that we have an inherent need to believe in something whether it is belief in a God who presented Himself to man as the Holy Son, a jolly old elf who gives presents to all the little children, or humanity that has the potential to be good.

What happens to us, though, if we reach a point in our lives when we do more worrying about the holiday season than rejoicing? What happens when we reach a point in which this holiday season is nothing more than a day off from work? What happens when there is no more magic, no special something to look forward to, to embrace and to cherish? What happens when we finally realize that we’ve crossed the line into adulthood and Christmas no longer has that magical, mystical quality it once held special just for us?

All these questions may be answered very simply: we’ve grown up too much for our own good. As we grow physically, emotionally, and mentally we soon learn that there are few on this earth who will put their lives on hold for us, so we have to learn to take care of ourselves and depend on no one. We learn self-reliance, and soon the only “magic” we may care anything about is that of David Copperfield, my favorite illusionist. At this point Christmas is nothing more than a date on a calendar that falls between December 24 and December 26. For all intents and purposes, we have lost our sense of wonderment and awe, and we gain a level of cynicism which teaches us that no one really cares. We lose faith. And once faith is gone, it is difficult to regain.

There is profound wisdom in what Jesus offers to His disciples in Mark 10:15 that goes far beyond the moment: “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little children will never enter it.”

It may be that Jesus is acknowledging the difficulty some grown ups may have in grasping the concept of an “other worldly” kingdom, let alone such a place that may hold some level of attraction for us. It may be that Jesus is acknowledging that being a “grown up” is not that it’s cracked up to be. I know that I’ve tried to tell my children so many times, especially when my baby girls wanted to wear make up, not to be in such a big hurry to grow up for that reason alone. So much gets lost somewhere between adolescent and adulthood, and we are the poorer for it.

All is not lost, however, as we move through the Advent season and quickly approach Christmas itself. There is still hope even as Jesus talks about the seeming hopelessness of those who are unable to look at life and faith through the lens of a child’s eye. “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to SUCH AS THESE.”

Jesus is not quoted as having said that the kingdom of Heaven belongs ONLY to the little children, the biological ones. “The kingdom of God belongs to SUCH as these…” could well be a statement of hope even for those who biologically mature but who are also spiritually child-like in a perfect willingness to believe the best that is to come. There is no room in this statement for cynics unless we are willing to surrender something.

It’s funny that some fundamentalist Christians would suggest that teaching our children to believe in Santa Claus can be spiritually harmful when it seems to me that maybe we are teaching our children that there is something worth believing in, something “magical” that gives the true Spirit of Christmas an opportunity to move into our souls and teach us that being all grown up is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Merry Christmas to all.