Another Christmas is soon to arrive and everything is quite different this year.

No church or singing for the first time in many, many years. No significant other. No young children around to raise the holiday spirit as everyone is now an adult. The world outside is a strange place full of uncertainty. The only thing that remains the same is family and friends coming over Christmas day provided there is no severe weather. 

Different but perfect, right? No hustle and bustle necessary except for Christmas dinner. No need to put up a Christmas tree or decorations for just one day. Sure. That’s the ticket; no fuss or muss, just low key all the way. There – the decision is made – just a plain Christmas without the trimmings.

No matter though because I, of course, still have the Christmas spirit and no one would really notice or care about the lack of Christmas ‘presence’!?

I thought everything was under control until one evening after I watched a new Christmas movie on Netflix, David and the Elves. You know, you really must watch your spirit around those Christmas movies. They are made for a reason and celebrating and expressing the Christmas spirit is number one on the list. I tell you, after watching that movie, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that my Christmas spirit was missing! I sprang from the couch and you know for sure that I pulled out those decorations and put my tree up post haste!

So, let me tell you about this movie. It wasn’t what you might call extraordinary or special, but something about it kept me watching. It was in fact a foreign film, from Poland, and dubbed in English. I am sure some of the things didn’t translate exactly, and the facial movements didn’t synchronize with the words, but that gave it a certain charm.  Truth be told, I almost didn’t watch it, but there were a few things that caught my attention and then I couldn’t stop watching. I’m glad I watched it through to the end.

In the movie, an overworked, under-appreciated, jaded elf comes down from the magical North Pole world to take part in the magic of Christmas in the ‘real’ world with a new friend, a boy named David, about eight-years-old. The problem: David is missing his Christmas spirit since he has recently moved from the countryside of Warsaw, Poland to the city of Warsaw thanks to the infinite wisdom of his parents who thought city life and more cultural exposure was a better atmosphere than the rural countryside. Thus, David no longer has contact with extended family and all the celebrated traditions and rituals of Christmas – food, decorations, cousins, aunts, uncles, the ‘belief’ in Santa, elves, and the magic that encompasses the Christmas season and spirit.

At first, the elf has magical powers and tries to give away Christmas spirit and magical gifts to people on the street as well as to David. The people on the streets are too preoccupied and think the elf is nuts and everyone rebuffs his gifts. David, while in awe of the gifts given to him by the elf, a drum set in particular, is hard-pressed to explain the gifts to his parents much less that there actually is an elf and what’s going on. His parents, puzzled and almost oblivious, have no belief in the magic of Christmas as is often true with adults.

Over the week that the elf is with David, he quickly loses his powers along with his belief in the magic and spirit of Christmas. He wants to get back to the North Pole, but he doesn’t know how. David tries to revive the elf’s spirit to no avail until he finally realizes where they can go to retrieve their Christmas spirit – his grandparents’ house in the countryside!

On Christmas Eve morning then, David and the elf hitchhike to the rural site with great anticipation. Finally arriving at his grandparents’ house, David finds his grandparents sitting alone at a table eating soup. No tree. No decorations. No other family members. No sign that Christmas is imminent. Nada.

David is totally aghast and exclaims his dismay with a series of loud, angst-filled questions, “Where are the perogies?? Where are the decorations? The tree? Where are my aunts and uncles? This is the one place where the Christmas spirit always is and now there is nothing?! This can’t be!” (This was my favorite part…the boy admonishing the adults for their lack of spirit). 

His grandmother tries to explain to David saying, “It’s just as two old people and no one was coming so we didn’t do anything. You understand, don’t you?” 

“You can’t do that!’ David says, clearly distraught and angry. “You can’t lose that Christmas spirit. It’s here! Feel it! Start making those perogies! Start decorating! You have to help keep the spirit alive!”

And so, the grandmother goes into the kitchen to start making perogies (or something) and the grandfather brings out the decorations.

Meanwhile, the elf has been walking around outside still filled with dismay and lacking spirit. Then, in a magical answer to the elf’s breaking spirit, Santa comes down and intervenes asking his lost elf to return to the North Pole and to help him deliver the presents this very Christmas eve. The elf is elated and hops in the sleigh with Santa. Just before the sleigh takes off, David comes out and realizes what is happening. He and the elf hug goodbye and David is happy to see and know that the magic of Christmas really does exist.

As David is waving his final goodbyes to the elf hanging over the edge of Sant’s sleigh, his overtaxed parents arrive, relieved to find their son well and safe. The parents are smart enough to realize that that they too have been lacking in the Christmas spirit and that maybe their family traditions aren’t so bad after all. They all go into the house to help with the cooking and the decorating.

Finally, during their preparations, David convinces both his parents and grandparents about the reality of the elf and all the things that happened over the past week. And everyone then realizes the strength and spirit of Christmas is a tradition meant to be carried on; lived and experienced to the fullest. Yes, those Christmas traditions, decorations, family, and the magic of belief are something to always treasure!

So, my tree is up! My stuffed friends are gathered around on display on a special table…. Rudolph, Clarice, Santa, Yukon Cornelius, and the whole gang, along with Alvin, Theodore, Simon, various angels, candles, and other holidays décor. Each ornament on the tree, and the items on display, holds a special memory and no one is going to take that away from me and I should hold on to that and enjoy it!

My family and friends will be here for Christmas dinner and we will celebrate with good food, laughter, and reminiscing.

I will not be like those grandparents in the movie who sit alone eating soup with no Christmas spirit or décor. My Christmas spirit lives on and new memories are yet to come. I hope and pray that I will always have the will and the way to celebrate Christmas and its spirit of magic, hope, and joy.

And, most of all, that is what I wish for all of you as well.

My message to you, my friends and readers, is simply this — Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now and a very Happy New Year too!  

That’s my Christmas story for this year.

I go forward, onward and hopeful, celebrating the past, enjoying the present, and looking forward to new life and a new year. I got a lot more livin’ to do and I intend to do so!

Hugs and blessings to you all! 

Good day!

Melinda Grohol 12/19/2024