Bah humbug! It’s not even the end of November and I am officially ready for Christmas to be behind us. That’s probably not something you want your pastoral intern saying just days before Advent, the season of waiting and preparation for Christmas, is set to begin. For the past weekend I spent most of my waking hours at Kings Island’s Winterfest as the Polar Party DJ. I stand in the same place, in the cold, played the same eighty Christmas songs over and over for five hours each night. Did I forget to mention that I played those same eighty songs for twenty nights last Christmas as well?
Don’t get me wrong, Kings Island is a great part-time employer and they do everything they can to make sure people have a magical Yuletide experience. Millions of programmed Christmas lights, holiday themed shows, Christmas music playing throughout the park, and they even convert their giant fountain into a skating rink. Everyone who passes through the gate should immediately be enveloped by the spirit of Christmas; many people are, but the societal pressures and expectations around Christmas can also bring about the worst in people.
I’ve seen people yell at young adult food service workers because the lines for food were too long on opening night. I’ve seen adults push kids (other than their own) in a game of red light / green light so that their kid could win. I’ve seen adults shout angrily because their kids won a free candy cane instead of a free mini polar bear. I’ve seen parents pull their kids away from having fun on the dance floor because they wanted to make sure they “got their money's worth.” On a nightly basis, in a place that is supposed to be fun and magical, I’ve had a front row seat to so much anger and frustration. No wonder I am becoming jaded about commercialized Christmas.
Despite all of the tense emotions and overstimulating lights all around me, there is one thing I look forward to each night. There are twelve hula hoops that sit at the front of my DJ booth and from the beginning of the night, all the way to the end, they are constantly in use. Kids and adults stop, grab a hoop, and proceed to have fun with a round piece of plastic. It’s the simplest thing in the amusement park, but it brings generations together and smiles abound. How is it that something so simple can be so profound amidst all the greatest entertainment technology known to humankind?
I think that deep down we long to live simple lives of happiness, joy, and love. As we enter this season of preparation and waiting, known as Advent, let us slow down and appreciate the simple pleasures that God has blessed us with each day; the embrace of a loved one, the smile of a child, the beauty of a snowflake, the ultimate gift of grace given freely to us by Christ.
As we journey into this season together, my prayer for all of us is that we keep the love of God in the forefront of our minds and in our actions. And while you are at it, after buying your kids a hula hoop for Christmas, make a point to thank a stressed out retail worker this season!
Happy Advent,
Pastor Corey Wagonfield