In case you missed it, WestJet’s Christmas Miracle video spread holiday cheer across the Interwebz over the last few weeks. The video shows Santa asking WestJet passengers what they’d like for Christmas, and they asked for everything from socks and underwear to a big screen TV. While the unsuspecting travelers were in flight from Toronto to Calgary, WestJet elves scurried to fill the requests.
As passengers waited at baggage claim, beautifully wrapped packages glided down the carousel. One by one, people of all ages looked with wonder at the packages wrapped especially for them. Little did they know they were about to receive the very thing they had hoped for.
Today, as we celebrate Christmas, we can’t help but think of another unexpected gift. Some two thousand years ago in the small town of Bethlehem, the world in sin and error “pined” (yearned deeply) for hope. Christ’s birth gave the soul its worth and the weary world reason to rejoice.
But beyond the gift of grace, the whole Christmas season is a gift from God—the bright lights, sparkling trees, joyful music, delicious treats, gift-giving, and even Santa Claus (modeled after Saint Nicholas). The song “We Need a Little Christmas” sums up why:
For I’ve grown a little leaner,
Grown a little colder,
Grown a little sadder,
Grown a little older,
And I need a little angel sitting on my shoulder,
Need a little Christmas now
By the time we reach the end of the year, with all its ups and downs, we need Christmas. We need the vibrant reminder of God’s gift to the world in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ. And we need everything else that comes with Christmas, too. Christ has come! Is that not cause for joyous festivities, childlike wonder, and constant chocolate eating? (Okay, maybe not the last thing.)
Yes, there’s a lot secularization and commercialism to navigate during the holidays. And we realize it’s more likely Christ was born in the spring than on December 25, but we’re glad that the church fathers who instituted Christmas placed it on the calendar where they did. Christmastime is still a blessing. It brings healing, joy, generosity, comfort, cheer, hope. It picks us up and refreshes us as we close out the year and start anew.
So, with hearts full of the hope that comes with unexpected grace, we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
One by one, people of all ages looked with wonder at the packages wrapped especially for them. Little did they know they were about to receive the very thing they had hoped for.
