PeaceBang

Santa Claus is Coming To Town

November 26, 2005 on 9:42 pm | In Uncategorized |

You might think it’s too early to start blogging about Christmas but I’m just going to have to remind you that tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent.

I’m not sure why — I think it was Derek’s idea — but we all watched “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” on Thanksgiving night, really late.

I think it’s a bad idea to watch these things with seminarians and ministers who feel the necessity of exegeting the theological meaning behind the whole thing.

However, it should be said that this particular special really packs an emotional and spiritual wallop for PeaceBang, who always weeps when the little children of Sombertown gather suspiciously but hopefully around Santa as he sings the intro to “If You Sit On My Lap Today (A Kiss a Toy Is the Price You’ll Pay).”

I know we’re a bit over the top but there really is a beautiful message in this one about grace and universalism (Santa checks the list for who’s naughty and who’s nice and decides, “Well, I guess they’re all pretty nice.”). We have to notice that Winter Warlock (”Call me Winter… please”) loses his powers when he is given the gift for which his heart has always yearned.

And I dare you not to shed a tear when the audacious writers of this screenplay just come right out and say that the whole tradition of giving gifts on Christmas Eve comes from Kris Kringle and his beloved Jessica getting married that night and placing their gifts to one another under the evergreen trees. You thought that was from the Bible, didn’t you? And you thought the Little Drummer Boy was from the Bible, too, didn’t you?
Me too. That’s what happens when you’re a little Unitarian kid getting your theological education from Rankin Bass claymation holiday specials.