Some Christmas

I'm a sucker for a good Hallmark movie.  There is no denying it.  I just love them and they almost always bring me to tears.  This is certainly no exception during the holiday season.  This morning, I watched a new movie called Christmas in Canaan featuring Billy Ray Cyrus...yup, the undisputed achy breaky mullet king.

I was really moved by the story of overcoming adversity, both racial and financial.  It confronted the loss of loved ones and the promise and hope of things to come.  It genuinly pulled on every heart string.  But there was one thing that really stood out to me during this season and it's represented in the title, 'Some Christmas.'

In the movie, there is a scene where Billy Ray can't afford to give his family much of anything for Christmas.  Times have been tough and crops are not selling for what they were.  He has six mouths to feed, four children to raise and he's doing it all as a single father.  Through all this adversity, he refuses to let Christmas go by, rather, he commits to giving his family 'some Christmas'.  He knew what things they had been wanting and admiring.  He took pictures of these items, ad clippings, and wrapped each one.  What he told his family is that though he couldn't afford to give them what he wanted, he gave them what his heart wanted to give.  It was 'some' Christmas and it was all from his heart.  I'm not going to spoil it by telling you the rest.  Watch the movie for yourself and discover the gift within it.

Some Christmas.  How many times do we give just to give instead of giving from our heart?  How many times do we ignore the blessing of a gift that came to us from someone's heart?  How often have we fallen in our lack of gratitude, in our spoiled expectations, in our scoffing at the appearance of cheapness?  What if we didn't expect anything to come under that tree at all?  Would what we get then be celebrated and cherished and loved?  Think back to some of the best gifts you've ever received.  Why did they mean so much?

The best gifts I've ever received are labeled as 'best' because they came from someone's heart.  They weren't gifts just to give me something.  They were handmade, or heart found and/or love filled.

What if we woke up Christmas morning and discovered that every present had been replaced by a piece of paper.  On each paper was an image of something we 'really' wanted to give the people we loved?  Would dad get another tie or would he get peace?  Would mom get another crystal vase or would she get joy?  The best gifts are the ones in our hearts.  These are the ones that last.  What if all of the gifts we gave came out of what our heart really wants to give?

This Christmas, I plan to add "Some Christmas" under the tree.  Besides presents and ribbons and fancy packages, I want to add hope and peace and love and promise.  I don't want to just give something someone can get themselves, I want to give something God has given to me.  So as the commercial Christmas begins to fill our homes, may we all think to put "Some REAL Christmas" in there as well, some Spirit of Christmas.

The movie was based on a novel co-written by country music artist Kenny Rogers.

Billy Ray's new song, which isn't half bad, that was featured in the film.