In a well-known movie scene, Santa Claus crashes his sleigh into Central Park of New York City, unable to get it moving again. The sleigh, which used to be run solely on Christmas Spirit, needed a boost to get it going. The previous solution was to attach an engine at the bottom of Santa's sleigh, helping the reindeer fly. But now, with the engine broken, Santa Claus needed his engine repaired quickly or a miracle to occur to get him back in the sky. In desperation, Santa cried to Buddy the Elf, "there's just no Christmas Spirit anymore!"
From there, you probably know the rest of the story. The people of New York and across the world start singing Christmas Carols, Santa’s engine is fixed, and the presents resume their path to being delivered. But what exactly is the Christmas Spirit? It's a term thrown around so commonly that most of us don't even think the same thing when we hear that phrase. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is defined as "a mood or attitude appropriate to the Christmas season, esp. one involving feelings of goodwill, benevolence, and a willingness to enjoy oneself."
I think there’s something special about Christmas. I don’t know the historical timeline of how we got from celebrating Jesus’ birth to the extravagant season we now experience around the world, but there’s good in the holiday. Even with the way too early Christmas advertisements and businesses trying to get people to buy their phone plans, TVs and cars, it still stems from a monumental event in history. We changed the entire way we use the calendar because someone was born in 0 A.D. and grew up to be the Savior of the world. The Christmas spirit is a reflection of the peace, joy and benevolence that was first felt by the famous characters of the Bible: Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, Angels, and Wise Men. The Oxford English Dictionary may have left that part out, but that’s where the feelings of goodwill come from. It’s a mysterious and elusive feeling that comes from leaning into that experience of Jesus coming into human form. The presents, trees, movies, and traditions that come after are great things too – they just come from the one who gave us them. So this year, I hope you experience the Christmas spirit by celebrating with your family, friends, and loved ones.