When all our kids are home for Thanksgiving, and that’s been awhile now, we try and see a movie, either the night before Thanksgiving or the night of Thanksgiving. There is usually a Christmas comedy that’s on the big screen, and when we can, we try and take it in.
Several years ago, we laughed our way through Four Christmases starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. In that movie, they played an upscale San Francisco couple who ditch the traditional family Christmas every year and instead go on some exotic vacation away from the emotional chaos of family. But one year, their flight gets cancelled because of fog and they are caught on camera by a local news crew revealing their whereabouts to the whole city, including their families. Then, they have to go see all four of their divorced parents in one day. It’s hilarious.
Four years ago, we watched Christmas with the Cranks. It was based on John Grisham’s novel, Skipping Christmas. The Kranks are a middle-aged couple who decide to completely do away with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. They decide to take a cruise instead. Soon it’s all over the neighborhood: The Kranks are skipping Chrstmas. Their neighbor, played by Dan Ackroyd, says to Mr. Krank, “You’re skipping Christmas! Isn’t that against the law?” Some last minute unexpected changes put the Kranks right back in the middle of Christmas.
Both movies picture in a humorous way what most of us have felt at Christmas: stress, aggravation, frustration, fatigue, and sadness. And both movies portray a fantasy that many of us have had: getting away from the stress, aggravation, frustration, fatigue, and sadness so often associated with Christmas.
It’s tempting, and not necessarily a bad idea. At the same time, going through the emotions of Christmas can be a healthy thing and can better prepare us for Christmas itself. We just need to choose our emotions. Though we can’t control everything that comes our way, we can choose how we respond. The challenge is in structuring our inner world, and as much as possible our environment, to promote the healthier emotions we desire.
In both of those movies, the couples learned some valuable lessons about themselves by going through some of the Christmas chaos. Instead of being controlled by negative emotions, we can at least be aware of them when they come our way. Then we do what we can to opt for a more positive and healthier Christmas.
I read where psychologists have found that the very act of smiling, even when you don’t feel like smiling, can produce many of the same physiological results as a genuine smile. Psychologists at the University of California at San Francisco discovered that faking a smile produces the same changes in brain activity and heart rate as the real thing. These physical changes produce a sense of well-being. Smiling may also put you in a better mood because it brings positive responses from others.
Now, I am not saying we should be fakes, pretending to be something before God and others that we are not But I am saying one of the best ways to prepare for the celebration of Jesus Christ and his coming to us is to think and act like Christ really has come, which He has, and that He really is here today, which He is. What we think about and how we behave eventually affects our emotions, how we feel.
When I look to the true meaning of Christmas, when I think of Christ coming to me, even me, and what that has done and will do in my life, I am flooded with positive emotions: joy, love, hope, and peace—to mention a few.
Think about what you want to feel this Christmas and cast your thoughts in that direction. Focusing on the true meaning of Christmas, meditating on the God who came to us in the person of Jesus Christ to save us from sin and give us hope for every season of the year is truly worth celebrating.
And you don’t even have to see a movie to receive that.