By way of the weather forecast the sun came up nearly half an hour ago but no sunbeams yet. My house is tucked in between two hills and the hills have lots of big, tall trees so that delayed sunshine is anticipated. It is Xmas morning and Santa has come and gone. On the 23rd, two nights back I watched the movie The Polar Express. It is part of my holiday package every year and you might think that a bit repetitious but just the other way. I have other movie-favorites I reboot regularly, stories I know by heart but want to watch again. But Polar Express is new again every time. It works at several levels and there is so much in the marvelous animation and subtle detail, you notice something again every time, like the first time.
It is about balancing expectations between doubts and faith. Adults can think it a metaphor for Big B Belief while kids (of all ages) are quite comfortable with flying reindeer and jolly old Santa. The Boy Hero gets the 1st Christmas gift, a magic sleigh bell that rings only for those who believe in the magic of the moment. The omniscient narrator throws us a curve at the end when he observes that years later after the kids were grown up they couldn’t get the bell to ring. But in that precious moment and forever after they captured it in memory, it was very, very real. For those few hours I let myself believe along with them. The grownup in me knows all too well that magic is an illusion and that up the calendar in a few days it will be a sweet but benign reflection. Still, we allow it. I do it with a clear conscience and a happy heart.
Sustaining Joy and Good Will, will be a tall task with Covid surging again. I will be hanging close to home, actually at home. We got all of our family and friends addressed before the midnight hour and I am making merry by myself. Living alone for so long, I’ve learned to take comfort in my own good company. I have decided to add another movie to my Christmas itinerary. A Christmas Story is set in 1983 with 9 year-old Ralphie Parker wanting nothing more and nothing less than a Red Rider BB gun. The plot unfolds with a series of minor crises that play parent’s hopes for a peaceful, happy holiday against their children’s relentless pursuit of Santa’s magic. Mr. Parker tries his best to balance the two and somehow they make it to the closing credits with a happy resolution.
For what it’s worth; in October I was at Costco and saw this wonderful, red and tan, plaid, flannel shirt. At the time I thought it would be the perfect shirt to wear at our family Christmas gathering on the 23rd. The shirt has hung in my closet all these weeks. It was clean to begin with so I didn’t wash it but I did tumble it on high heat for a few minutes to help it relax. On the night before, my granddaughter came down with (what we now know was) Type A Influenza with similar symptoms to Covid. So the party at their house was canceled with no other options. That was too bad but then (as an old friend used to say) “When you least expect it, expect it.” So I got up this Christmas morning with almost nothing on my schedule for the day, looked in my closet and saw the red & tan, flannel shirt. If nothing else, I could wear my holiday uniform on Christmas day. With a quick check for fit I caught my thumb on something that turned out to be a hand warming pocket concealed by the side seams. OMG, it has hand pockets. I got a surprise on Christmas morning after all. So there is an up side to my friend’s wannabe wisdom: when you least expect it, expect it. Christmas has been merry so far and sunrise tomorrow will be delayed at my house just like today. Next weekend will begin a new year and I am hoping for more pleasant surprises.
It is about balancing expectations between doubts and faith. Adults can think it a metaphor for Big B Belief while kids (of all ages) are quite comfortable with flying reindeer and jolly old Santa. The Boy Hero gets the 1st Christmas gift, a magic sleigh bell that rings only for those who believe in the magic of the moment. The omniscient narrator throws us a curve at the end when he observes that years later after the kids were grown up they couldn’t get the bell to ring. But in that precious moment and forever after they captured it in memory, it was very, very real. For those few hours I let myself believe along with them. The grownup in me knows all too well that magic is an illusion and that up the calendar in a few days it will be a sweet but benign reflection. Still, we allow it. I do it with a clear conscience and a happy heart.
Sustaining Joy and Good Will, will be a tall task with Covid surging again. I will be hanging close to home, actually at home. We got all of our family and friends addressed before the midnight hour and I am making merry by myself. Living alone for so long, I’ve learned to take comfort in my own good company. I have decided to add another movie to my Christmas itinerary. A Christmas Story is set in 1983 with 9 year-old Ralphie Parker wanting nothing more and nothing less than a Red Rider BB gun. The plot unfolds with a series of minor crises that play parent’s hopes for a peaceful, happy holiday against their children’s relentless pursuit of Santa’s magic. Mr. Parker tries his best to balance the two and somehow they make it to the closing credits with a happy resolution.
For what it’s worth; in October I was at Costco and saw this wonderful, red and tan, plaid, flannel shirt. At the time I thought it would be the perfect shirt to wear at our family Christmas gathering on the 23rd. The shirt has hung in my closet all these weeks. It was clean to begin with so I didn’t wash it but I did tumble it on high heat for a few minutes to help it relax. On the night before, my granddaughter came down with (what we now know was) Type A Influenza with similar symptoms to Covid. So the party at their house was canceled with no other options. That was too bad but then (as an old friend used to say) “When you least expect it, expect it.” So I got up this Christmas morning with almost nothing on my schedule for the day, looked in my closet and saw the red & tan, flannel shirt. If nothing else, I could wear my holiday uniform on Christmas day. With a quick check for fit I caught my thumb on something that turned out to be a hand warming pocket concealed by the side seams. OMG, it has hand pockets. I got a surprise on Christmas morning after all. So there is an up side to my friend’s wannabe wisdom: when you least expect it, expect it. Christmas has been merry so far and sunrise tomorrow will be delayed at my house just like today. Next weekend will begin a new year and I am hoping for more pleasant surprises.
No comments:
Post a Comment