One of the best things about Christmas for me is the movies and the specials. I love curling up with a nice hot mug of hot chocolate (with mini marshmallows of course!) with a blanket and watching everything from Elf to White Christmas.
Of course, Christmas would not be the same without some of these classics! One of my favorite Christmas movies is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I always make sure I watch the original special and the life action movie. There’s something just special about that story!
One of my favorite moments is the ending, where the citizens of Whoville are singing a carol after loosing everything. For them, despite having nothing, the spirit of Christmas survived!
For me, the monologue about the Grinch’s heart growing three sizes larger perfectly sums up the Christmas season.
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
This week at camp, we’ve been learning about the characters of the Nativity story and how, even in July, the story of Christmas is always relevant.
The true meaning of Christmas, as the Grinch realized that day, isn’t about wrapping gifts, trimming trees, and hanging the best lights in the neighborhood. It’s not about baking gingerbread cookies or carving the roasted turkey. Christmas is about God, humbling Himself to take on flesh and send His son as a baby to save, redeem, forgive, and overcome the world.
We can all use a little bit of Christmas spirit throughout the year. You see, Jesus is more than just the “reason for the season”. God doesn’t just work for twenty five days in December and rest for the remaining 240 days a year. He’s the reason for everything. He should be the reason for every day of our lives. Because, you know what? God means a little bit more.
This week, I was reminded of that. In fact, so many of us we’re reminded about how Jesus came to save, to love, to heal, in the most humble and unexpected way possible; as a little baby in manger, wrapped in swaddling cloth.
