One Promise Night Will Keep

"There's magic in the air this evening

Magic in the air

The world is at her best, you know

When people love and care

The promise of excitement, is one the night will keep

After all, there's only one more sleep til Christmas"

 - One More Sleep 'til Christmas, from The Muppets Christmas Carol 

I've written several posts in the past about Christmas songs. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and a few other favorites in general, as well as last year's reflections on a Blue Christmas service I attended in Quito. Overall, I've focused on the songs which have a depth of sadness mixed with hope and beautiful melodies. This year, one song I've been listening to on repeat is "One More Sleep 'til Christmas" from the movie "The Muppet Christmas Carol" which is, in all earnestness, an incredibly touching and faithful adaptation of the classic story. This little-known gem of a song is such a sweetly joyful song, and yes, it is sung by Kermit the Frog, so how can you not help but smile when listening to it? 

The world has got a smile today, the world has got a glow

There's no such thing as strangers when

A stranger says "hello"

And everyone is family, we're having so much fun

After all, there's only one more sleep til Christmas

Tis the season to be jolly and joyous

with a burst of pleasure, we feel it all right 

Tis the season when the saints can employ us

To spread the news about peace and to keep love alive

As he sings, Kermit (who plays Bob Cratchit) walks along the city streets with his fellow bookkeepers. They pass carolers and join in with giddy ice skaters before Kermit walks alone through the peaceful snow-laden streets leading up to his door. A full moon beams overhead as Kermit sings the following, reflective lines: 

There's something in the wind today that's good for everyone

Yes faith is in our hearts today

We're shining like the sun

And everyone can feel it

The feeling's running deep

After all, there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas 

After all, there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas

When I hear the line, "Faith is in our hearts today, we're shining like the sun", I always feel still and calm. It's made my eyes well up, in fact, thinking of how such pure hope can come from a singer with so little. The characters of the Cratchit family are some of the most pitiable and lovable in literature. Terribly poor and overworked, yet full of hope and joy, no one more than Tiny Tim, who works to cheer everyone he meets even while using crutches and having his frail body wracked by a worrisome cough. Seeing the glimpse of a Christmas future where Tiny Tim has died, and how that blow has utterly devastated the family, is almost more than the reader can bear. It's fascinating to watch the movie "The Man Who Invented Christmas" and see how close Charles Dickens came to not giving Ebenezer Scrooge a redemptive arc. Had his heart stayed cold, both his fate and that of the Cratchit family would have been miserably set. Instead, another Christmas story sheds light on the fact that one life can touch so many more than we often believe. For Scrooge to go from villain to giver, saving Tiny Tim and who knows how many others by becoming generous in his business practices rather than stingy is a 180 turn which has belayed the wonder of Christmas to many generations. 

My siblings and I have quoted the line "one more sleep 'til Christmas!" excitedly to each other on Christmas Eve. It's an excitement and wonder I plan to feel my whole life long; a bit of magic in a time which is, at its core, about giving, because of the best gift the world could ever receive. I love the song because it's so vibrant with a kind of innocent and pure wonder and hope it makes me cry. "Tis the season when the saints can employ us to spread the news about peace and to keep love alive". Heavenly messengers, one and all.

So, may we see the world at her best. May we all be family, and spread the news about peace and keep love alive. May it be said that faith is in our hearts today; we're shining like the sun. We're shining like the sun.