Naughty or Nice

Jesus Christ is coming to town

I’m making a list

I’m checking it twice

Gotta find out if I need

Bon Bons and ice

Prawns and pudding

Mince pies and lights.

I worry when I’m sleeping

I plan when I’m awake

I organise and shop and bake

So it’s done for goodness sake

I better not cry

I better not shout

So many good things to try and work out

Christmas time is coming to town.

He knows when you are sleeping

He knows when you’re awake

He knows when you’ve been bad or good

So be good for goodness sake.

You better not cry,

You better not pout

I’m telling you why

Jesus Christ is coming again.

Perhaps you will recognise I’ve borrowed the rhythm and meter from the classic Christmas song, Santa Claus is Coming to Town by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie.

This song has informed a load of Christmas traditions and other creative Christmas film works over the years. It’s fun and it’s funny.

This year, as for most years, when December 1^st rolls around I put on Christmas music, and look for Christmas movies. I don’t mind the cheesy Hallmark movies – usually all fairly similar with very few story tropes. (Amusing YouTube parody of Every Hallmark Movie)

I have my annual Christmas must-see movies: It’s a Wonderful Life, The Nativity Story, Miracle on 34^th Street, I’ll be Seeing You. Then I surf Netflix, You Tube and Disney to see what else is bound to set me in the Christmas mood. A couple of days ago, we watched Noella. It was amusing Disney Christmas, but also a little troubling. The writers went to great lengths to take out any reference to God or Jesus, swapping other lyrics into the usual Christmas carols that normally recognise Christ the Lord. It brought the good message of forgiveness and looking for good in people, but all done in the name of Santa.

Yesterday, I responded to an invitation to log on to a live Christmas special put together by the makers of the smash-hit phenomenon, The Chosen. If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to watch season 1 of this engaging and impacting story of Christ and his disciples, then do yourself a favour and log on. It is free to watch with an app on your phone, or through this link on your computer.

The Chosen has become an international phenomenon, and rates in IMDb alongside such series as The Crown for popularity. When I first watched it, the inspirational and well-written screenplay was brilliant.

So, back to their Christmas Special. It involved top Christian artists and actors bringing their Christ centred worship and focus to screen, and also included a short Christmas film that was the prequel to the television series. So beautiful and inspirational. If you didn’t see it live, or did, and want to see it again, here is the Face Book link.

The message I want to bring to you this Christmas – Hallmark and Disney are fun, and Santa Claus is fun, but they are fiction. Not real.

The spirit of Christmas is real, but it doesn’t come from snow or pudding, from reindeers or presents. The spirit of Christmas comes from His spirit. [bctt tweet=”The spirit of Christmas is real, but it doesn’t come from snow or pudding, from reindeers or presents. The spirit of Christmas comes from His spirit.” username=”acwriters”]The spirit of God, made available to us today because He loves us, and He came and inserted himself into our lives as a human being. He identified with us and gave his life for us. And, He will come again.

So, in amongst the froth, bubble and silliness of Christmas, make sure to take that time to focus on who He is, and what He has done for us. Let’s remember also what He can and will do for the world around us, and let us, in the spirit of Christmas, be a part of the answer, not a hinderance.

Many blessings to you and yours this Christmas 2020