by Rev. Timothy Kearney

Moviemakers in Hollywood, television executives, and writers know that we love Christmas stories and have created a wide variety of tales to give us what we enjoy. As soon as Thanksgiving dinner is in the Tupperware containers, we can turn on our televisions and see a happy snowman resembling Burl Ives singing. “You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen…” If we flip through the cable stations, TBN, will probably be showing “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

As we do our Christmas shopping, we might browse through a bookstore where we come across more Christmas stories or we might see a new edition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” or a paperback copy of the contemporary Christmas classic “Mr. Ives’ Christmas” by award-winning author Oscar Hijuelos. Popular authors, such as David Balducci and John Grisham, both better known for their crime thrillers, have a Christmas tale to tell, as does Jan Karon, creator of the series of books based on the fictional town of Mitford. There are many ways in which we can tell a Christmas story.

Now if I were asked to write a Christmas story for a movie, television, or publication, it would probably include the following: It’s early in the morning on December 24th in a small town outside of Boston. It may or may not be snowing outside. If it is snowing, it’s a light snow that does not accumulate on the street and has a way of lifting people’s spirits. The residents are heading to the local drugstore for some last minute gifts. No, it is not the drugstore owned by Mr. Gower in “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and a young George Bailey will not be the clerk, but it has the same homey feel to it.

Customers are greeted by a mechanical Santa Claus in the window, joyfully decorating an artificial Christmas tree. Beneath the tree are a few wrapped gifts and a display of popular presents being sold in the store. Music can be heard. Sorry, neither Perry Como nor Dinah Shore has selected this store as the backdrop for their yearly Christmas variety show. More than likely, the music is coming from an eight-track tape of the Ray Conniff Singer, reminding us “If we’re worried and we can’t sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep” or that “The real meaning of Christmas is the giving of love every day.”

Inside people are busily selecting typical drugstore gifts: stocking stuffers, bottles of perfume, the Jean Nate gift set for Mom, the English Leather set for Dad. Quite a few children would shop at the store. Old-fashion drugstore always had great hidden bargains. Adults would pick up a box or two of Russell Stover chocolates or Whitman Samplers as “just in case gifts” for the people who unexpectedly showed up at the house with presents. When these guests arrived, the host just grabbed the candy and said, “I’m so glad you stopped by. There’s something under the tree just for you.”

Many of the customers that afternoon would be regulars. Some of them would bring a plate of cookies or brownies to say thank you for good customer service during the year. Others would be people who had moved out of town and returned to visit loved ones. They probably did not stop in to buy anything, as much as to have someone recognize them and make them feel as if they has never really left town.

Not all of the customers would be joy-filled. There would always be someone who was facing the first Christmas alone or caring for a loved one who could be celebrating a last Christmas. The final customer of the day would always be a person who had just finished working. Probably this person’s Christmas bonus made holiday shopping possible. No matter what the selected gift happened to be, it would bring joy to someone that far exceeded the actual value of the gift

Certainly this sounds like the setting of a typical Christmas story that could be a book, a Hallmark Hall of Fame special, or a movie. Maybe you know this story, or one similar to it. It has the sound of a secular Christmas story with a simple message of peace and goodwill to all, but something important is missing as we look at this story. From the point of view of faith, a Christmas story is simply a nice tale if it excludes the birth of Christ since the birth of Jesus is why we celebrate the holiday in the first place.

The vignettes above that would make my story are not a summary of a typical mass-media Christmas story; these are some of my memories from growing up in my father’s drugstore. I probably spent every moment I could working at the drugstore during the holiday season. I enjoyed stocking the shelves with trim-a-tree items, gift warp, boxed greeting cards, candy, and gift items.

The store would be decorated from top to bottom, so that everyone knew that it was Christmas. There would be a small nativity set near the prescription center. It was more visible to employees than to customers. My father wanted the scene near the actual pharmacy for a reason that completely escaped me at the time. He would simply say “The prescription center is the most important part of the store.”

For years I thought he said it to remind us that the holiday hoopla was not as important as the life-saving work of a pharmacy. Now I realize that it was probably his way of saying that just as a drugstore is not a drugstore without the medicine, Christmas is not Christmas without the child born in Bethlehem. Maybe this is why in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, his store was always a place where people could find a last-minute gift, perhaps an unexpected bargain, with free gift wrap to boot, but also a warm place where everyone was a family.

Today, Christmas is very different for me. I no longer work in a store, and on the day before Christmas, I am probably busy writing the words to a Christmas homily instead of wrapping customers’ gifts. No doubt I will remember the drugstore at Christmas, and may even miss the good old days. I am sure I will recall the small nativity scene, almost hidden, yet in plain sight, and will think about the child born in Bethlehem, in the manger attached to a public inn, so visible, yet the meaning of his birth was so unknown. I will recall this wonderful birth, a harsh birth yet filled with great beauty and joy because Jesus is involved and God’s plan is at work.

We probably all have Christmas stories. Memories of a family gathering, a meal shared, or special gifts received. Some of the memories may be joy filled, like “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Perhaps some are bittersweet, as we fondly recall a loved one who is no longer with us or a Christmas that may never be the same. Though Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” ends happily, it is a mixture of both joy and sorrow. Other memories can be sad.

Unfortunately the magical feel of the Christmas season does not erase very real human hurt and tragedy, Hijuelo’s “Mr. Ives’ Christmas” expresses this reality beautifully. For most of us, the three emotions of joy, sorrow, and bitter-sweetness are a part of our Christmas stories. All three emotions make up the whole of the Christmas story. The joy of the birth of Christ, the gifts of the Magi, and the humility of the adoring shepherds is in contrast of the plain tragedy of Herod’s order to slaughter the innocents and the Flight to Egypt-all part of the Christmas story.

How could Mary and Joseph see the presentation in the Temple as anything but bitter-sweet: the joy of knowing that Jesus is the Christ, but also the pain of knowing that He would face a tragic end? Again, this is all part of the story of Christmas, and also part of the stories of our lives.

During this Christmas season, it might be a good idea to reflect upon our Christmas stories and other stories in our lives from the point of view of faith, and see where Jesus Christ, the light, shines through them. Looking at things from the point of view of faith can help us see God in so many ways. When we fail to look at our Christmas stories from the point of view of faith, the stories are just tales that happen to take place at Christmas. As we recall our Christmas stories from the past, cherish the stores we are creating in the present, and anticipate Christmas joys of the future, we find the light of Christ, which is so present at Christmas, shining through them.