The Magic of Christmas

Christmas is an interesting time, probably the most all encompassing holiday we have.  It has its own season, its own music, and a whole selection of traditions to go with it.  It can be associated with Santa Claus and reindeer, or with evergreens, holly, and mistletoe.  It is the most widely celebrated Christian holiday, and while much has been added as distraction from the original purpose, I believe most people are at least aware of the origin. This is as opposed to Easter, the details of which, many non-Christians have little comprehension of.  One possible reason for this is that the "baby Jesus" is a lot less threatening to the selfish American lifestyle than the "risen Jesus" is.

Gift giving is more associated with this holiday than any other, and while that aspect has been over-commercialized, I believe at its core, that is a reasonable way to celebrate the gift that God gave us on the first Christmas.  I still have trouble giving for the sake of giving, to people who really lack nothing, but that's okay, probably an area where I, not the world, need to change and grow.

The magic of Christmas, as experienced by a child, is an interesting phenomenon.  I had a realistic understanding of the world from an early age, so the concept of Santa was easy for my mind to refute, even though my heart wanted to believe it.  I was aware of the vast scope of the earth, making it impossible for one person to visit every house in one night, even if he could fit down the chimney.  Even though my rational mind was conscious that it was impossible, I maintained the charade for quite a while.

I remember writing a story in early elementary school, proposing a combination of solutions to the problem of how it could be possible.  It described a group of individuals, including Santa Claus, Saint Nick, Pierre Noel, Father Christmas, and a few others up in the North Pole, laying out their plan to utilize the various time zones and the international dateline in their favor, giving them about a 36 hour window to complete their massive task.  (I knew the world was big, but obviously couldn’t nearly grasp how big.)  The fact that they only had to make it to the houses of “good” children obviously worked in their favor as well.  (From certain theological perspectives, that caveat might have even made it “possible”)

I had another interesting issue influencing my perspective on Santa, in that no matter how cool the presents were that Santa gave me, they didn't hold a candle to the presents from my grandparents.  I owe a lot to my grandmother in that regard.  There is no doubt that she played a significant role in shaping me into the person I am today.  Christmas was a catalyst in that process, in that it gave her an excuse to bless us with gifts.  She did many other things as well, but I still have an entire building in my parents backyard filled with the thousands of Legos that she gave to me and my brother over the years.  Those provided us with countless hours of fun, as well as the source material for many a school project and science experiment.  In college I used them to make videos, and as models for animation, and they have been the inspiration for many other endeavors since then.  I have taken reasonably good care of them, and fully intend to pass them on to my children, some every year, from Santa Claus.