But what I've been thinking about lately is this: There IS a clear parallel and a connection between receiving gifts for Christmas, and the birth of Jesus, beyond just the fact that the Three Wise Men brought gifts. The two are not at odds. To be sure, commercialism and greed are at odds with the message of the season, but a properly ordered view of the mystery of Christmas and the gifts which we open on Christmas morning are very much in sync.
I think Santa and receiving presents for Christmas are appropriate, because the coming of Jesus to this earth as our Savior in the form of a little innocent baby, that is SHEER GIFT. It is absolutely unmerited and undeserved gift. In the same way, for the child who is not spoiled, who does not have their whims and childish greed catered to all throughout the year, waking up to find presents from Santa and their parents is SHEER GIFT. An overemphasis on the Elf who is watching if they are naughty or nice changes the gifts to be a just reward, when in reality the fact that they receive presents is not earned but rather freely given of their parents (or Santa) out of a desire to bring JOY. I remember on Christmas morning opening our presents and out of the sheer wonder that I had been given these things as mine, my siblings and I called out, "THANK YOU SANTA, wherever you are!!" It was the understanding that we did not necessarily deserve all this fuss, but we had been given an unmerited gift.
Many people do not like the idea of Santa because they feel it detracts from the real meaning of the season, but in conjunction with a healthy Advent-long emphasis and preparation on the true meaning of Christmas, I believe Santa (and St. Nicholas!) bridges the gap for this understanding of what it is to receive such a great unmerited gift. The generosity of Santa who brings gifts to ALL children mirrors the generosity of God who sent his Son for all of mankind. If you've never felt that kind of child-like joy, how can you feel that kind of joy in response to the intangible mystery of Christ's birth?
The power and beauty of stories, parables, fantasy to teach and inspire is sometimes overlooked in the effort to be pious, or truthful or in favor of a more didactic message. These stories have sometimes been taken and commercialized and perverted, but we can take them back and use them to instruct and inspire. We cannot have faith in that which we cannot first imagine. "In very truth, a wise imagination, which is the presence of the spirit of God, is the best guide that man or woman can have; for it is not the things we see the most clearly that influence us the most powerfully; undefined, yet vivid visions of something beyond, something which eye has not seen nor ear heard, have far more influence than any logical sequences whereby the same things may be demonstrated to the intellect. It is the nature of the thing, not the clearness of its outline, that determines its operation. We live by faith, and not by sight." (George MacDonald, "The Imagination: Its Function and its Culture" - 1882)
So is Elf-On-a-Shelf a quality story to inspire the imagination? Does it help bridge the gap from imagination and faith? I don't know. It looks fun and cute and I'm sure kids love it and all. I guess it is up to every parent to choose the stories for their family that inspire. In my personal opinion, it just convolutes the message we are focusing on. Am I being a Scrooge and over thinking this? I am curious what others think... !
2 comments:
I don't have anything really to add, only that I really liked this post, and it gives me a lot to consider as the receiver of lots of unmerited gifts!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE this one too, Liz! And, I agree, we do Santa and we thought about it a lot before we decided to do Santa. THIS is one of the reasons, because when the excitement of your great gift is gone, one must deal with the emotional aspects of getting and taking a gift that was not earned - and this is GOOD for our children :)
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