Natale Syrup: The Schmaltz-free Spirit of the Season

I sat down with a catalogue for Seagull Book today exclusively because an ad for friend's new book was in there. I found it and smiled.  Then I perused the rest of the booklet and found one tale after another that was precious and faith-restoring and had a cutesy reference to mistletoe.

I read one synopsis out loud, my voice crackling over the sugar and my roommate told me I could stop sounding sappy.  I told her I would once it stopped being so sappy.  I found some gems of faith-based storytelling that didn't sound like an Upworthy headline.

I'm not chucking out all sap, but I'd like to address three themes that will make telling a holiday tale more bread and butter than cake and frosting.  As a cynical Bostonian, I feel equipped.

My favorite stories depict the following:

1). You aren't blamed. .
2).  You aren't forgotten.
3).  You aren't faceless.

1.  I remember watching A Christmas Carol and being moved by a scene in Scrooge's past where he unexpectedly is fetched home for the holiday.  He had felt abandoned for infractions or indifference and instead, his family let him know that they could not go through the holiday motions without including him.

Christmas is a time for tearing down fences and building bridges.   Explore ways that you have learned or taught that.

2.  This is actually a Thanksgiving reference.  In The Lame Squirrel's Thanksgiving, a chipmunk remembers a crippled friend who couldn't gather food on his own.  She loads a basket and along the way, others impart of their substance or help pull the basket.  When they reach the squirrel's home, he's gnawing on a rotten chestnut while weeping.  The last line doesn't preach the spirit of generosity. It just says that he ate and ate and ate his thanksgiving dinner.  Underneath is a sketch of him weeping for joy.

I'll admit that I cry every year when I read the story.  I recently injured my back and felt very much the squirrel when friends turned up with a week of prepared food.

This is perhaps the easiest theme to master.  Remember the good and bad of realizing that you or someone else nearly went overlooked.

3. Finally, The Polar Express.  The protagonist receives the first gift of Christmas, a bell from santa's sleigh.  When he searches his pocket later, he finds only a hole, but Santa remembers him and his desire and leaves the bell under the tree.

The best gifts are ones that show how close you pay attention to a heart's desires.  Turn your thoughts to that.