Mulling Myth and Mystery

Do you remember the words, “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” We hear it in the Christmas story from the gospel of Luke (2:19). Those are words I have always loved. Truth be told, I have been pondering this post for a couple of weeks now. Pondering, mulling, wondering, ruminating – all those things – in my heart and in my head.

As you might know, during the month of December I spent every Saturday and Sunday dressed in a long red velvet dress with a white wig on my head and gloves on my hands. Dressed as Mrs. Claus to greet children young and old into Santa’s workshop on the Knox Farm. The little ones were variously mystified, terrified or magically drawn to Santa. We welcomed them in and remarked on how much they had grown since last year. We talked to them about their family’s traditions on Christmas Day. We talked about the gifts they hoped for. We asked what they were going to give their parents this year. We reminded them that a surprise gift on Christmas morning was sometimes the best thing. And then, with a cup of hot chocolate we sent them on their way.

Towards the end of the season, Santa (aka my brother) and I had a brief conversation about perpetuating the myth. Were we doing kids a favour? We told them the story about a stranger who would sneak into their house on Christmas Eve and leave presents … if they were on the nice list?!

Then, just days later my little ‘adopted’ Syrian granddaughter, who is seven, and Muslim, and living in a household where Christmas is not the frenetic event it is in many North American homes, asked me, “What is Christmas about anyway?” I told her the story that Christians believe about Jesus. She was filled with questions, the most strident being, “Is it true?” Then I told her the Santa Claus story because that is what she hears her classmates talking about and again she said, “But, is it true?”

Both myths focus on gift giving – the gift of the incarnation and the gifts of toys and filled stockings. The nativity story is deeply Christian and is a treasured reading on Christmas Eve. Many people, who have heard it year after year can almost recite it from memory. It is a universal story that speaks to children and adults alike. The Santa Claus story has Christian origins but then it got highjacked by commercialism. It’s focus is directed to children with the mystery (tinged with greed) of a secretive Christmas Eve delivery.

I confess, there is a part of me, even in my advanced years, that looks up to the sky on Christmas Eve and scans the constellations with the slightest of hope that a messenger dispensing good news and maybe even gifts might appear. Such is the power of myth.

Myth also seeks to explain those things that are unexplainable. The joy that comes from finding the perfect gift to give another. The humility and the inexpressible power of love that overwhelms when we receive something that is so much greater than we deserve. Myth, even the most unbelievable of tales, holds a truth, a kernel of real longing and reality dressed up in story and make-believe.

This year we had several families make the trek to see Santa even though the children were now teenagers and young adults. They laughed at themselves a bit self-consciously, as they explained that a visit to see Santa at the Knox Farm was just part of their Christmas tradition. Tradition undergirds the power of myth. Myth shapes and forms our lives in ways we cannot explain or even understand. We just know it has an important role. For in the end myth makes us human and the Christmas myths make us believe in the goodness of others and the love of God.

I hope Santa was good to you this year. I hope that the babe of the manger found room in your Christmas festivities. I hope that your dreams were crowded with angels and shepherds and magi and the wonder of God coming into our lives with such truth that the story has been told for centuries. I hope you have been able to take the richness of that story and ponder it in your heart.

Merry Christmas on this the fifth day of Christmas. I am still waiting for the delivery of my ‘five golden rings’!!!!