Lights Please
The Real Meaning of Christmas
On December 9th, 1965, a new show appeared on television. We watched it, bundled up in our footie-PJ’s, lying prone on the living room floor in front of a wood fire. The show was in Living Color, which seemed to burst with vivid hues at a time when color TV was rare. Stationed four feet from the screen, it’s a wonder that my sisters and I still have retinas. A Charlie Brown Christmas was broadcast for the very first time. Not yet known was that this classic by Charles Schulz would entertain pajama-clad boys & girls for generations to come.
Now when I watch, it’s as if I’m sitting in one of the empty seats in a darkened theater as Linus walks to center stage to enlighten Charlie Brown, and all of us in TV land, as to the true meaning of Christmas.
“Lights Please…”
A wise and inspired Linus abandons his security blanket for the first and only time. He has something better: the message of eternal security. Stage lights dim. All goes silent. Linus proceeds, “The glory of the Lord shown all about them. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord … That’s the real meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown.”
Now, nearly sixty years later, seasonal hype competes for an even larger share of my Christmas sensibilities. Between Black Fridays, Cyber Mondays, and not-yet-named Tuesdays, I struggle to remain untainted by the trappings of The Holidays.
Al Mohler in his recent book, Recapturing the Glory of Christmas, puts it this way, “Materialism has replaced the Messiah, and Santa has eclipsed the Savior … We have commercialized Christmas and Christians can, lamentably, capitulate to the downward spiral of confusion that distorts the Christmas message.” Shamefully, I admit that I must intentionally resist the allure of that downward spiral every year.
Sweet Memories.
When our kids were young, we’d pull out the tape of that wonderful old broadcast every Christmas, and have a conversation about it. I think it helped our family to keep the real meaning of Christmas at least in the back of our minds as we wandered through shopping malls searching for that perfect present.
Our children are grown and no longer lie on the floor with chins propped up by tiny elbows. But as long as that ancient cassette player plays, my wife and I will watch Linus drop his beloved safety blanket and deliver a message straight from the Gospel of Luke. Partially as a way to remember days gone by. Partially as a reminder that despite the distractions, we can still hold dear the real meaning of Christmas.
A blessed and merry Christmas to you and yours.
Ben LaCorte
