Wednesday, November 30, 2022
“Christmas Happies”
It’s the official beginning of the Freeform Channel’s “25 days of Christmas”! I admit it: I’m a Christmas program junkie. As a child, I always loved watching Christmas specials. The cartoons were good, but my favorites were the clay animation productions. My favorite has always been “The Year Without A Santa Claus,” featuring two of my favorite characters, Heat Miser and Snow Miser.
I know, pretty lame, huh? But for me, these Christmas shows are some of my fondest memories as a child growing up in the 70s and 80s. Long before the days of Youtube and Streaming, and even before DVDs and VCR tapes were commonplace, I would eagerly wait the entire year for my favorite shows. One would think I was a bit obsessed, but I didn’t want to miss out on an important part of my Christmas Happy experience.
I find it noteworthy that certain memories, some of which may not be especially unique, can be so impactful on our Holiday Season. I do remember giving and receiving some extraordinary gifts, but, for the most part, my Christmas Happy stems from some of the simplest things. Though many of those things are long gone, some of them are still around and easily accessed.
What other Christmas Happies are out there? True, I can’t recreate everything, but given that my fondest memories were created in simple, everyday life, I should be able to find plenty of new Christmas Happies if I pay attention.
Maybe the Christmas Happies fill me with such simple, constant joy because God is always involved. Whether cartoons or the great outdoors, everything good comes, ultimately, from The Creator. I like to think that God smiles when I enjoy even the simpler blessings of the Christmas season. When I recognize all these gifts come from the LORD – even my silly Claymation TV shows – I am drawn deeper into Christmas and closer to God.
Today, I’m going to enjoy the simple Happies of the season. I’m also going to remember to enjoy the Creator as much as the Creation: Thank you, God, for all of the Happies of Christmastime!
“Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.” (1 Timothy 4:4, NLT)