(A Christmas Carol Photo from The Nebraska Theatre Caravan)Many, many years ago I played the Ghost of Christmas Past in the musical version of Charles Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol". You remember the story. The old miserly, crabby Ebeneezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits/ghosts on Christmas Eve as foretold by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. The rude, tight, critical and mean-spirited Scrooge was known for his trademark rebuke of Christmas, "Bah! Humbug!"
I remember the director stressing to me the importance of my character being jolly, festive, gregarious, and joyful as he led the frightened Scrooge through the joys of Christmas' long past. The mission of the first ghost was to wake up the cold-hearted Scrooge by showing him glimpses of his early years when he knew pure joy.
It was a hoot playing such a joyous character. You can imagine the fun I had despite my poor excuse for a British accent. My costume was colorful and everything about the character reeked of fun and celebration. As I draw on this 28-year old memory, I think we need this character's Christmas attitude now more than ever. People are so busy, the holiday pace is so hectic, the crowds, shopping and traffic are so stressful that we need some levity.
We need to be reminded that the intent and motive behind this season is the Good News of joy that brings peace to everyone. I love holding doors open, giving up prized front row parking spaces at the mall and smiling to sales clerks and those in the hospitality industry who are inundated this time of year with cranky, stressed-out customers. The reaction to sheer joy and cheer is mixed, but so rewarding. Some folks are just downright suspicious of why anyone could be so jolly, or courteous during the annual rat race leading up to Christmas Day. Now that's funny when you stop and think why most of them are out in the chaos----to secure a gift that will bring joy to someone they love! Who knew that the mission of bringing others joy would be so lacking in joy itself!
I know it's getting late and we're running out of days to purchase and wrap gifts. But let's not let the pursuit of joy deprive all of us of the very joy we seek. Let's remember the shepherd's who when they encountered the heavenly joy of the angels pronouncement responded in pure worship, putting the Christ-child first and leaving their fields. If we seek to put the Christ-child first in all we do in these closing days of Advent, we will indeed enjoy one of the best Christmas' ever. I hope you do! I'm going to try and lighten up the modern-day Scrooge's I encounter, one smile or gesture at a time.
I remember the director stressing to me the importance of my character being jolly, festive, gregarious, and joyful as he led the frightened Scrooge through the joys of Christmas' long past. The mission of the first ghost was to wake up the cold-hearted Scrooge by showing him glimpses of his early years when he knew pure joy.
It was a hoot playing such a joyous character. You can imagine the fun I had despite my poor excuse for a British accent. My costume was colorful and everything about the character reeked of fun and celebration. As I draw on this 28-year old memory, I think we need this character's Christmas attitude now more than ever. People are so busy, the holiday pace is so hectic, the crowds, shopping and traffic are so stressful that we need some levity.
We need to be reminded that the intent and motive behind this season is the Good News of joy that brings peace to everyone. I love holding doors open, giving up prized front row parking spaces at the mall and smiling to sales clerks and those in the hospitality industry who are inundated this time of year with cranky, stressed-out customers. The reaction to sheer joy and cheer is mixed, but so rewarding. Some folks are just downright suspicious of why anyone could be so jolly, or courteous during the annual rat race leading up to Christmas Day. Now that's funny when you stop and think why most of them are out in the chaos----to secure a gift that will bring joy to someone they love! Who knew that the mission of bringing others joy would be so lacking in joy itself!
I know it's getting late and we're running out of days to purchase and wrap gifts. But let's not let the pursuit of joy deprive all of us of the very joy we seek. Let's remember the shepherd's who when they encountered the heavenly joy of the angels pronouncement responded in pure worship, putting the Christ-child first and leaving their fields. If we seek to put the Christ-child first in all we do in these closing days of Advent, we will indeed enjoy one of the best Christmas' ever. I hope you do! I'm going to try and lighten up the modern-day Scrooge's I encounter, one smile or gesture at a time.
No comments:
Post a Comment