Luke 2 and the Grinch

(Written December 26, 2010)

The kids tree is laden with popcicle stick snowflakes and pom-poms covered in glitter. Chronological pictures of my children pasted into bottle caps or on the back of old CDs look out in all directions. Hand painted play-dough ornaments and candy can reindeer (long past their edible date) drag the tree boughs low. The apex is adorned with a new (this year) bejeweled star made of Q-tips, sequins, Elmer's Glue and lots of gold glitter! It is a sight to behold!

Our "kid tree" is one of the many Christmas traditions that we drown ourselves in this holiday season. It's wonderful. Traditions tie us to our pasts, our heritage and give us stability for the future. The kid tree will always be there.

Our Christmas Eve is full of tradition. We enjoy our holiday feast, slip into new Christmas Eve jammies and sit together in the family room for a reading of the Nativity . It is a Holy, reverent family time that really reiterates the true "reason for the season." It is also fantastic because it comes with a special brew of Sprite and Lime Sherbet, loving named "Grinch Juice". It is my favorite part of the whole Christmas hoopla! This year, however, things were...well al little bit less traditional.

Our deviation from tradition, and ultimately the cause of our downfall happened when we served the Grinch Juice with straws. We asked the kids to get their scriptures and also our favorite Christmas DVD, entitled Luke 2 ready for our special evening. The kids opened up their scriptures and followed along, sipping their chilled green concoction as Ben read the story of the Christ child and his sacred birth.

As we closed the scriptures I reached for the remote. Luke 2, a beautiful production of the Nativity has no commentary, only music. I love it. I am always touched by the simplicity and humility that it portrays. I also love that it is only 5 minutes long...just right for my mix of babies and teens.

At this point Spencer squealed in excitment. He pulled a blanket up around him and scrunched back into the couch, obviously getting comfortable. I was honestly a little surprised at his excitment but pleased that he cared so much for the little babe in a manger.

Spencer: "Mom, can we pop popcorn for this?"

Me: "Oh, honey, this movie is only a few minutes long."
He looked at me in confusion and turned his attention to the scene of the old streets of Bethlehem.

Spencer: "What is this?"

Me: "This is Luke 2, honey. It's about baby Jesus."

Spencer: "This is NOT Luke 2. Luke 2 has Stormtroopers, Darthvader and...(pause for effect)...LUKE SKYWALKER."

In unison the teenagers both burst into peals of laughter sending sprays of Grinch Juice shooting through their straws and all over the carpet. Then Emma started laughing and spraying her own Grinch Juice, which coated the television screen with dripping globs of wet green slush. The shepherds were coated. Then Ben joined in the chaos, laughing until tears rolled down his cheeks. The sacred moment was ruined...and messy.

I will admit that it took me a long time to see the amusement in the situation...and I am sure that Spencer never did. Afterall, he went to bed disappointed, having missed out on "Luke 2". It will however, be a Christmas Eve to remember and maybe next year we will add a new tradition...Star Wars.