It’s Christmas time! I love Christmas. I love knowing that my Savior took on human form. I love that He died to take my sins and He lived so that I can be assured that He understands my hurts and aches and trials.
I love Christmas for many reasons, and some of them are that this is the season for Christmas lights and vanilla scented candles and hot chocolate (yes, even in the Caribbean!), and especially – Christmas movies. Since Halloween I’ve been eyeing the lineup of Christmas movies available online and I’ve been looking forward to the guilty (though benign and innocent) pleasure of watching as many as I can fit in (and Karl will agree to!).
You know the ones I mean…They have names like Magic at Christmas, or Home for the Holidays. While I enjoy It’s a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street, those aren’t the movies I’m anticipating. Nope. I love the cheesy, predictable Hallmark ones. The plots are simple. Someone is unhappy. Usually he or she comes home or is called home but it’s not where she (or he) really wants to be. Then, because of the magic of Christmas and some hot guy or girl (often an old flame but not always), minds are changed, love is in the air, and Christmas comes peacefully and with a beautiful snow shower at the perfect moment, the ending is happy.
I admit they are unrealistic, but even so, I love everything about these movies. I love the predictability – no stress. I love the forgiveness, the growth, the grace and mercy that are always the themes. I love the happy endings.
Hmmm. But really, are they unrealistic? Don’t be too quick to claim “Of course they are.” In the ‘real world’, happy endings are rare and fleeting. If we think about Jesus’ life, and stop at the crucifixion, yes, Christmas movies a far cry from reality. No way dying on the cross is a happy ending. If I consider what I have to look forward to in the next twenty or thirty years – getting older, body parts getting stiff and wearing out, wrinkles, possible dementia, illness, dying. Nope no happy ending there. If I read the news, the world is full of hate and dissension, persecution and misunderstanding. Nope. No happy endings in sight. But. We can’t stop at the crucifixion. Jesus rose from the grave and is alive. Because of this fact, as believers, we can live a life of stress-free predictability, too. Because of forgiveness, and grace, and mercy we might not get a happy ending in this life, but we are promised an eternal happy ending with God.
Okay, then. Here’s the plan: I refuse to feel guilty for watching cheesy Christmas movies this season, I’m going to embrace them as allegories of the Christian walk and keep my eyes on the Writer and Editor of my own personal Christmas story, knowing that HE will be faithful and that I am assured the ultimate happy ending.
