Taking the Shine Off

I've always had a bit of a problem with Christmas. You know, too much tinsel, too much glitter, too much hoopla, not enough Christ. That sort of thing. It's not at all that I have a problem with Christmas, actually, because celebrating that precious gift of His Son from God is certainly a worthy celebration. No, it's what we've done with it. But I'm sure it's not news that it bugs me and I'm sure it's not news that people see it this way.

Do you know another thing that takes the shine off Christmas? Tragedy at Christmas time. You know. People lose things. They lose jobs. They lose family members. They lose health. I always found it unsettling at the company where I used to work that their layoffs always occurred at Christmas time. "Thanks for your years of service. Here's your pink slip. Merry Christmas." And many lose much more. There's nothing like a mother dying on Christmas Day to taint future Christmas Days. So when 27 people are killed -- 20 of them under the age of 10 -- in a senseless shooting in Connecticut not two weeks before Christmas, that's certainly the kind of thing that will take the shine off Christmas.

I was thinking about the dad who walked into his house on Monday to find his wife crying. "What do we do with the presents stored in the closet for our son?" I was thinking about the mom looking at the tree decorated with annual photo tree ornaments documenting the life and now death of the little girl she'll never see again in this life. I was thinking about the pain of those -- brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, relatives, friends -- who have, so very close to the celebration of the Incarnation, lost someone so dear. I was thinking about that kind of agony ... and Christmas.

We're going to debate this for some time, I'm quite sure. Maybe we need to ban weapons or maybe we need to shore up families. Maybe we need more security or maybe we need to arm teachers. Maybe we need more mental health professionals. There are going to be lots of arguments over this for some time. But Christmas is around the corner. I want to know what we're going to do to restore the shine.

What strikes me, then, is the horrible sacrifices. A mother was killed by her son. Children were killed by a disturbed man. Teachers were killed defending their wards. All of it seems senseless, but it is not nearly as senseless as a Father who purposely sent His Son to be murdered for the sins of people who hated Him. Talk about senseless. As it turns out, however, Christmas is exactly about a child being killed because of the folly of others. Now, that is not likely to return a Christmas spirit to those suffering right now, but it does help me. The horror in Connecticut was the murder of innocents. The celebration of Christmas involves gratitude for the murder of the Innocent. I'm not, then, suggesting platitudes and joy. I'm reminded, instead, of the cost. And that brings greater gratitude when I most need it.