By Michael Patrick O’Brien–
(Editorial note: This week The Boy Monk’s regular contributors all address the theme of Advent, a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to welcoming Jesus into our lives and celebrating Jesus’ birth on Christmas.)
Advent is a time of preparation. Four of the most unusual, yet most effective, seasons of such preparation for me were the years when I wrote and helped produce the annual Christmas program for our children’s Catholic school. There is no better way to get ready for Christmas than to help get some two hundred and fifty grade schoolers ready for a Christmas program.
We did all sorts of wonderful and unique programs during those years, but my favorite one involved the time the school let me present my own fused notion of Jesus and Santa. My mother used to say that Santa- St. Nicholas- brought gifts to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. We always have had lots of Jesus, and lots of Santa, in our homes at Christmas time. We did the same sort of thing during my favorite school pageant.
To make room at the inn for both Jesus and Santa, I even wrote the words for an original song, a new Christmas carol! We used it to conclude the 2011 Christmas program and express the same theme. Scott Larrabee, the talented music director at St. Vincent DePaul Church and School in Salt Lake City, Utah, wrote the music. I think (he said with all modesty), that it’s a pretty good song (copyrighted now in the name of St. Vincent’s School) and it now has become a sort of Christmas anthem at the school. I like to stop by there from time to time because you can hear the boys and girls singing the song in the hallways and on the playground. Maybe I can get the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to perform it someday too! (Let me know if you have any connections there.)
I offer it now for your own advent preparation, because both Jesus and Santa can peacefully coexist at Christmas. You can hear the song performed in its (amateur) debut by the 2011 St. Vincent students at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhQwHnsOirA). Words below (reprinted with permission).
Happy Advent!
***
Jesus is…
the reason for the season,
the spark that starts my Christmas light
the hope that makes my Christmas white.
Jesus is…
the reason for the season.
You’ll find him there…You’ll find him there if you just try.
Jesus is…
the reason for the season,
the sweetness in the cookie smells,
the wind that rings those silver bells.
Jesus is…
the reason for the season.
You’ll find him there…You’ll find him there if you just try.
Jesus is…
the reason for the season,
the strength that makes my stockings hang,
the stripes upon my candy cane.
Jesus is…
the reason for the season,
the warmth that makes those chestnuts roast,
the spirit in each Dickens ghost.
Jesus is…
the reason for the season,
his love makes my tree ever green,
and makes the Grinch nice not mean.
Jesus is…
the reason for the season.
You’ll find him there…You’ll find him there if you just try.
You’ll find him there if you just try.
Jesus is…
the reason for the season,
the light that makes my red nose glow
the joy behind my ho ho ho,
the magic that makes Frosty dance,
the music in each reindeer prance,
Jesus is…
the reason for the season.
You’ll find him there (if you just try).
You’ll find him there (if you just try).
You’ll find him there…you’ll find him there if you just try, try, try, try, try.
Find him there if you just try (Jesus is the reason), if you just try (Jesus is the reason), if you just try (Jesus is the reason).
Jesus is!
