I was speaking to a colleague recently and we swapped stories about how our respective children were managing their excitement about the upcoming holidays. He mentioned that his young son had reached the age where he was becoming more aware of all that the festive season had to offer. Part of this process included an attraction to all the television specials one sees during this time of year. In particular, my colleague mentioned that his little one was fascinated with the animated classic, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. However, his delight turned to fright when the dreaded Abominable Snow Monster appeared. When my colleague questioned his son about the cause of his fear, he realized that it wasn’t the ghastly appearance of the towering white beast that was so unsettling. What was most distressing for his two-year-old was the way the monster was being mean to Rudolph and his friends.
A similar event occurred this past weekend. We had friends over for dinner and, after our meal, we retired to the living room while our kids took in some holiday programming on TV in the basement. As we were sitting by the fire, our conversation was interrupted by the pitter-patter of little feet making their way upstairs. When asked what had troubled him, our five-year-old guest quietly conveyed that the Grinch had scared him. Again, it wasn’t the look of the monstrous creature that had thrown him, it was how the Grinch had deceived little Cindy Lou Who and all those Whos down in Who-ville.
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Thankfully, with all adults fairly jaded, |
(I trust that you Grinch fans will forgive my weak attempt at some Seuss-like verse). I found it most interesting that with both the Rudolph and Grinch stories, the young children weren’t distraught by the frightening appearance of the grisly villains, but by their mean-spirited actions toward the innocent. Of course, each of these productions has a redemptive quality to it, as their respective villains come to truly understand the value in being kind and compassionate to their fellow creatures.
This same theme is carried through to many adult holiday productions as well. One of my personal favourites, Charles Dickens’ treasured classic A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim, is a truly wonderful story of transformation as the pessimistic, malevolent Ebenezer Scrooge has a conversion of sorts and becomes a charitable, magnanimous individual inspired to serve those in need.
I think the spirit of the season and the positive messages we see through various forms of media at this time of year can help us to be better people. Just as our children watch characters in a movie or in a TV special, as parents we need to understand that we too are in a spotlight of sorts, as our kids are constantly observing our behaviour and the way we treat others. Even at my age, I still take note of the way my parents interact with family members and friends and am so impressed with my father’s incredible sense of humour and the graceful way they manage to make people feel welcome and at ease.
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During this holiday time, either through work (I couldn’t resist.) |
Wishing all of you a restful, enjoyable break.
Thanks for reading,
Scott
