A hula hoop. That is what Alvin wants most. And he wants it with all his little chipmunk heart. So, with his brothers he ardently pleads: “We can hardly stand the wait. / Please, Christmas, don’t be late.”
As surely as the hours march on and the sun rises and sets, December the 25th will come right when it is supposed to. Surely that means Christmas will too. After all, even the Grinch, with all his Grinchy plotting and planning could not stop Christmas from coming to the Whos down in Whoville. Like them, we know that Christmas can come without “packages, boxes, or bags.” Yes, it can come even without a hula hoop.
To the Whos, Christmas came with the dawn of that wintery day. For the Grinch, however, it took a little while longer. So could Christmas, in fact, be late? At some point in our lives, we will likely find that it can.
In accordance with heavenly timetables, that first Christmas night came on schedule for Mary and Joseph. That same night, the shepherds and the Nephites received their own glad tidings of great joy. Yet for some, Christmas took a bit longer to arrive. It was over a month before the infant Jesus was brought to the temple. Only then did Anna and Simeon receive their Christmas day. For the Wise Men from the East, Christmas came much, much later. Still, it came.
In our day, Christmas can be late for many reasons. We are grateful for the doctors and nurses, the police officers, the firefighters, and the other first responders who willingly put their festivities on hold for the sake of us all. Christmas can also be late for those serving at gas stations, stores, restaurants, or other businesses that remain open. Christmas may come late when family members are serving in the military, when loved ones are traveling from far away, or when the in-laws have their turn at hosting. Whether on December the 25th or some later date, Christmas still comes.
But for some, it may feel as though Christmas will never come. There are those who face empty mailboxes, empty cupboards, and empty chairs. Others may find their holiday feast served on a solitary hospital tray. And sometimes we all, like the Grinch, find our hearts shrunken by the stresses and struggles of life and the season. We tell ourselves that “next year all our troubles will be miles away” and “until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.”
Even in such times, the song still enjoins, “have yourself a merry little Christmas now.” For no matter our circumstances, we all “need a little Christmas” and sometimes we need it “right this very minute.” But as the Grinch learned, Christmas comes to those who welcome it, with open arms and open hearts. It will come as we remember Christ, our Savior, and welcome Him into our lives. And it will come as we remember why He came.
Our Christmas may not come as “the stars are brightly shining.” It may not come with “yuletide carols being sung by a choir.” And it may not even come with a hula hoop. But as we open our hearts to Christ – our Prince of Peace, our Light of Life, our Messiah in the Manger – whether it be sooner or later, Christmas will come.
Merry Christmas!
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