Next to “White Christmas”, “The Polar Express” is one of my favorite Christmas movies. The first time I saw it, KJ and I had gone on Christmas night when it first came out. There we were sitting in the IMax theater at the Henry Doorly Zoo with our little 3D glasses on. You'd think I was 5, I was loving it so much.
I love the story and the magic of the movie ~ the journey of a boy who can no longer hear the sound of the Christmas bell, meaning he no longer believes. As he travels with other children to the North Pole and the giving of the '1st gift of Christmas', he's reminded again and again of the spirit of Christmas. Even as an adult, the movie touches that place deep inside that leaves you with that age old question . . . do you still believe?
As a small child, I was a firm believer in Santa. On Christmas Eve, we would watch the weather before bedtime. As the weather man stood in front of his map, a blinking red light would show exactly where Santa was. That night, I would lay in bed listening for the sound of Santa’s sleigh and the the thud of the reindeer as they landed on the roof. Of course I never heard those sounds; I always fell asleep way before Santa got there!
I remember how I would religiously put out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer and on Christmas morning, there would be nothing but crumbs on the plate, the milk glass was empty and the carrots were gone.
The stockings would be filled with fruit, nuts and candy canes. The lights on the tree would be blinking and the presents from Santa were always left unwrapped and displayed in front of the tree. Trust me, with my eyes as round as saucers as I spied that Easy Bake Oven on Christmas morning, I was a big believer.
As an adult, I still ‘believe’, but these days it’s more about believing in the spirit of Christmas. I've always told the kids that as long as you believe, Santa will come. It’s when you stop believing that Santa disappears.
While I know that at the ages of 23 and 21 they no longer actually believe in Santa, I’d like to think that they still ‘believe’ in the spirit of Christmas.
In the grand scheme of things, Christmas isn’t about the bright lights, the beautifully wrapped presents piled under the tree, or the full-to-the-brim stockings hanging on the fireplace. At the end of the day, Christmas is about family. It’s about faith, it's about hope and it's about love. And, it’s about believing. Believing in the power of your faith, the power of hope and the power of our love.
Merry Christmas . . . from my family to yours ~
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