Join in those Reindeer Games
Standing patiently in a long queue of 4 year olds, my college-age daughter and I found ourselves being eyed by inquisitive youngsters and puzzled parents as they tried to figure out why we were there.
It was late autumn and our local shopping mall was already festooned with glittery Christmas décor. We were strolling through this concourse on our way to the Williams Sonoma store to drool over luscious linens and ponder the arcane reasons of why persnickety gourmets might actually require a separate orange zester, lime zester, AND lemon zester. Then … our attention was veritably arrested by a prominent display: the Build-A-Bear store had RUDOLPH AND CLARICE!!! As in the plucky hero and heroine in the 1964 children’s classic Christmas movie, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
For over five decades, I’ve been parked on the sofa, hot cocoa in hand, every December when this show was aired ---even when it became available on VCR tapes , then on DVDs, and even as I was receiving invitations to join AARP. As a child, Mom instilled in me a concern for the underdog and the unloved, and so the plight of the misunderstood Rudolph and the Misfit Toys tugged at my heartstrings. Clarice, who loved Rudolph despite his “disfiguredness”/uniqueness, was my hero. The moral of the story, Mom taught, was that Jesus wanted us all to love like Clarice did, that such kindness and acceptance pleased God. Mom’s teaching was passed down to my daughter every year when we watched the show. (BTW, have you ever noticed that one of Yukon Cornelius’s sled dogs is a dachshund?)
So were we embarrassed about buying stuffed animal toys at our age? Not at all. It was a wonderful way to enjoy The Reason for the Season with warm and fuzzy symbols of God’s unconditional love.
Rudolph and Clarice Day has stuck with me. It is one of the few times when I let myself enjoy something that other folks might consider silly and unsophisticated… even dorky. I stood, unashamed, in a group of 4 year olds. I got my stuffed animal. And I loved it. I now regret times in my life where I denied myself joy for fear of appearing uncool. I missed out on experiences because I wanted to portray myself as sophisticated and having elite tastes. Go disco dancing with my friends? No, I sat alone in my room listening to “sophisticated” music like Pink Floyd… and, if I’m honest, really not enjoying it. Prom? No, I was too sophisticated for that. I missed a hallmark of the high school experience trying to be something I was not.
Who are we, really? Psalm 139 tells us we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” God “knit us together” in our mothers’ wombs. He made us unique souls. Jesus, in Mark 10:13-16, says we should receive and welcome the kingdom of God the way a child does. Jesus himself took time for and blessed children who were brought to him. Childlike wonder and purity of heart were significant to him.
Consider how children interact with the world. Kids simply enjoy the moment they are in. They are present. Children do not forego fun in order to display sophisticated demeanors. They enjoy what they enjoy with a pure heart. If we have a child-like heart, I think we honor God and his gift of our individuality. We live authentically by savoring our own uniqueness and by refusing to be someone we’re not.
I have in recent years examined what things make ME, personally, happy. I have made efforts not to cave in on participating in events, or interacting with people that I do not enjoy --- even though it may seem that everyone else in the world enjoys that event or those people. I no longer worry about sophistication or being concerned about my image. It’s very liberating to just be me. It brings me Joy.
I recently searched for the name of the drummer on an old Rod Stewart song. Google directed me to Stewart’s Wikipedia page. I skimmed the article and was informed that Mr. “Do You Think I’m Sexy” has a spectacular model railway display in his home and was thrilled to be featured in a magazine devoted to his hobby. Let that sink in: not a collection of Rolexes or Picassos, no, Sir Roderick … plays with toys.
So, I share with you that my favorite bedtime beverage is not fine wine or aged Scotch, it is an ice- cold glass of Nestle’s Quik. I love Mr. Rogers and Finding Nemo. I have, voluntarily, watched a 6-hour movie version of the Dickens classic “Little Dorrit.” (Autocorrect wants me to say Little Dorito.) I have been known to read the dictionary for fun. I now own a “mix-tape” CD of disco and funk hits from the 70’s… and no Pink Floyd.
Wouldn’t it be fun to Just Be You? As in the 8 year old you? What pretensions could you eliminate from your life? How can you enjoy life in the present moment like you did when you were a child?