Be a Christmas Buddy

It’s Christmas movie week!  We have a list of our favorites that we watch every year, no doubt you do too.  I was curious about what would appear by doing an internet search for best Christmas movies.  Here’s the first list that appeared:

1. It’s a Wonderful Life
2. Die Hard
3. A Christmas Carol
4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
6. Home Alone
7. A Christmas Story
8. Miracle on 34^th Street
9. Scrooged
10. Elf

Hey, where’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas?  And though we’ve watched Die Hard at least a dozen times, and yes it does take place around Christmas, gotta question it coming in at number two.

We watched Elf yesterday.  I found it very relevant to the world we presently live in and decided to write my thoughts for your consideration, and hopefully a little enjoyment.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the plot, here are the basics. The main character, Buddy the Elf, crawled into Santa’s bag one Christmas and ended up at the North Pole.  He was raised as one of Santa’s elves by his adopted elf father.  He eventually learns that his biological father lives in New York City.  He travels there to find him which is when all the fun begins.

Buddy came from elf world where there are three rules:

1. Treat every day like Christmas
2. There’s room for everyone on the nice list.
3. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

Oh, and where the four major food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.

Now imagine coming from that magical world into New York City.  What he found there was a city full of cynics and unbelievers, especially his father who Santa told him was on the naughty list.

Thankfully Buddy maintained his every day is Christmas joy and spread it to all he encountered.  Then when Santa’s sleigh was having trouble flying because of the lack of Christmas spirit in the city, Buddy’s words of elf wisdom eventually saved the day.  He inspired people to sing carols loud for all to hear, thereby producing the Christmas cheer necessary to lift the sleigh.  Even his father sang and got himself removed from the naughty list.

What struck me in watching the movie this year was the colliding of two very different worlds that took place.  The always joyful world of Santa and the elves, clashing with the humdrum life in the big city.  Buddy refused to adapt to the less joyful world that he encountered.  Rather, he inspired them to adopt his.

My lessons learned from the story are that (1) how we choose to view and live in the world is a personal choice, and (2) it only takes a few to inspire the many.

We seem to have a lot of colliding worlds right now.  At the extremes, there are those who fear a virus, and those who do not.  Those who love the country the way it was originally founded, and those who do not.  Those who believe in God, and those who do not.  And many, too many I think, stuck in the middle.

Personally, I’m choosing to live in the world guided by elf rule number one: Treat every day like Christmas.  I think living this one simple rule could serve to solve all of our worldly problems.  Think about it, if we treated every day like the day the savior of the world was born, what difference would that make in our world and in our daily lives?

We would know that we are saved and that we will live eternally in heaven.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. John 3:16

We would live for Him and actively strive to live a productive and holy life to show our belief.

But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.  John 3:21

“Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”  Matthew 10:38

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  Matthew 10:39

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  John 14:15

We would live to serve our fellow man.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:38

 “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12

We would not live in fear, especially of death which only serves to bring us to the promise of eternal life.

He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”  Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.  Matthew 8:26

What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:31

We would be joyful.

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 18:3

And we would live every day to its fullest in order to always be ready for what comes next.

Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.  Matthew 24:42

Put it all together and what are we talking about?  Striving to become the saints we are all meant to be.

Buddy the Elf seems very saintly to me, and definitely childlike.  Maybe we should be striving to be elves?  Works for me, I love candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup!

There are so many great lines in the Elf movie.  Do yourself a favor and watch it soon.  Here are a couple more of my favorites:

“Why don’t you just say it? I’m the worst toy-maker in the world? I am a cotton-headed ninny-muggins!”

“I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite.”

“Santa! Oh, my God! Santa’s coming! I know him! I know him!”

That last one seems particularly relevant and timely.  Let’s change it and sing it loud for all to hear:

“Jesus!  Oh, my God!  Jesus is coming!  I know him!  I know him!

Merry Christmas to You All!!!  Scott