The Wonder of Christmas

The Christmas season is a wondrous time of year, and it is fitting that so much festive tradition has grown around our celebration of the birth of Christ. G. K. Chesterton once wrote a delightful essay about Santa Claus in which he explained that advancing years did nothing to diminish his belief.

In his essay, Chesterton writes: "Once I thought it delightful and astonishing to find a present so big that it only went halfway into the stocking. Now I am delighted and astonished every morning to find a present so big that it takes two stockings to hold it, and then leaves a great deal outside; it is the large and preposterous present of myself, as to the origin of which I can afford no suggestion except that Santa Claus gave it to me in a fit of peculiarly fantastic goodwill."

In his delightful take on belief in Santa Claus, G. K. Chesterton demonstrates how the human imagination can lead us to faith in all that is good and true. He shows how cultivating a sense of faith at Christmastime awakens us to the gifts of God's creation. The wonder that awakens in our hearts and our imaginations at Christmas stems from gratitude - and wonder also cultivates gratitude.

In the film It's a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart's character George Bailey experiences a crisis of faith when he loses sight of the tremendous blessings of his life. He loses sight of the gift of himself, as Chesterton so colorfully describes himself bursting out of a Christmas stocking. It's George Bailey's realization of God's gifts that opens his heart to the miraculous at work in his life, gleefully celebrating the angel Clarence getting his wings in the ringing of a Christmas bell at the end of the story.

Faith in the possibility of such miraculous events is not misplaced but merely a tiny foretaste of the miracles God has in store for those who make leaps of faith in their lives. So we can see how the magic of Christmastime can lead to our hearts leaping for joy throughout the year for the miracles of life itself.

The film Miracle on 34th Street playfully tackles issues of human doubt through the angst of a girl struggling to believe in Santa Claus. We see what a weight is lifted when those in her life help her to move beyond doubt into a spirit of belief. It's a story that shows how the wonder of Christmas flows around the hopes and dreams of childhood but ultimately affects everyone.

These stories awaken us to the spark kindled in the human heart by the Christmas spirit. We can never have too much awe over the tremendous gift of Christ's birth. It is so astounding that it requires the exercise of the imagination to allow ourselves to be properly moved by its reality.

So let's never hesitate to embrace all the wonder attached to this time of year because the Christmas spirit can help us to grow in faith, hope, and love for one another. As we gather together with friends and family, let's share our hopes and dreams and inspire each other to believe that God can touch our hearts and make all good things possible in our lives. It has happened already in the birth of our Savior. All that is needed to kindle the spark of that gift in our hearts is to believe.

This essay is this week's "Light One Candle" column, written by Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M, of The Christophers' Board of Directors; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)

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