Meatballs for Christmas

Friday Lori asked Elie, "What do you want for Christmas?"

"Gum, and um...uh...Meatballs."

"Really?"

"Yeah, um, gum and meatballs."

Now, you have to understand a tiny bit of backstory on this. First, gum is a treat for my kids. It's not that we withhold it from them, but they really like chewing gum. Sometimes they'll ask for a snack and it'll be gum... And Elie likes to have her own - not the gum that just everybody can have a piece of, but gum that is hers (which she will give you if you ask her...but that's not the point).

And meatballs. Not just any meatballs. When we moved here Lori and I were really excited that there is an Olive Garden restaurant right nearby so we have gone there a few times (okay, more than a few - I like their food :) ). Anyway, at some point Elie discovered the meatballs in the wedding soup and that is her new favorite food (which works out well, in a way for us - because Rachel and I like the soup part, but not the meatballs so much). We ate lunch there on Friday so I guess it's no real surprise that she was thinking about those meatballs later in the day...but meatballs for Christmas?

Now, don't get me wrong. We were watching the Boomerang channel the other day (for those who don't know, Boomerang shows the cartoons from when I was a kid - so, yeah, I was watching it with her). One of the things I HATE about Boomerang (and just about every other kid channel except the Disney channel and Public TV) is the commercials. They ran commercials for about a dozen different things...and she wanted ten of them. She even realized what she was doing at about item 8 and said something like, "Well, I want THIS more than I wanted the cars that will run on the ceiling..."

But meatballs for Christmas.

Why not? Oh, she doesn't really want meatballs for Christmas - but why do gifts have to conform to some expected, stereotypical "norm" for a Christmas gift? I think we're really afraid that what we give won't be appreciated (now, lemme tell you - those meatballs would be really appreciated) or that somehow the recipient will be offended. A gift, after all, says something about the relationship, doesn't it?

There's that famous scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie comes down in the bunny jammies that his aunt(?) made for him. Yeah, who would want that, right? Um...but think about the love and care that went into making it... I mean, that bunny suit was not exactly an off the rack item, right? So, yeah, she thinks you're perpetually four years old (yet she got the size right...hmmmm) but she cares about you.

So, why the rambling? Well, I'm thinking about Christmas (yeah, we're actually planning January worship stuff right now) and I was thinking about how Jesus wasn't exactly the "gift" that people were expecting. A baby? Really? And he's going to kick the Roman...oh, wait...what? Die so that we can live? Hmmm....

How many people look at Christ as "a bunny suit for Christmas", if you will? How many times have I taken this gift, this offering of Christ and said, "Hm, not what I wanted"?

Okay Elie - meatballs for Christmas? Just maybe...