Remember the movie classic Miracle on 34th Street?My wife and I tried to replicate those Christmasy feelings at a recent visit to Macy’s Department Store … home of the original Miracle.
Macy’s is the largest department store in the world and is located on 34th Street … between Sixth and Seventh Avenues … in New York City.
The two of us took the store’s old escalators to each floor … getting out quickly, looking around, and then ascending higher … before finally stopping at the eighth floor.
When we got there, we happened upon a poster for the original movie:
Not only that, but we couldn’t help noticing a prominent announcement:
November 23 is today … the day I’m posting this article.
However, as it turns out, Santa and his elves evidently require dry runs, because we were informed that if we wanted to, we could visit Santa right then and there!
We’ve just heard the news: we can visit Santa!
So off we went … through a maze of creatures from the North Pole!
The anticipation was building!
We saw singing snowmen …
Was the choir singing about Frosty?
… and penguin toboggan runs …
Looks like fun!
… and little towns decorated for Christmas …
Silver bells … it’s Christmastime in the city …
… and North Pole-like atmospherics …
Official, Santa-authorized train tracks
… and dancing bears …
Joyful about the coming of Christmas
… and thousands of colored Christmas lights …
The proverbial dear in the headlights
… and even an unexpected visit from an elf!
Where’s the real ELF?
In fact, the whole experience had religious overtones, because we were told, in bright red letters, just to …
Macy’s Christmas theme this year
And then, the Moment of Moments was upon us. After the crew in front of us left, we could actually have a minute of the Great Man’s time!
Wowie Kazowie! It’s Santa himself!
My wife and I both sat down … her on Santa’s left hand, me on his right.
Santa asked my wife what she wanted for Christmas, and she replied, “A job.”
He asked me the same question … and I gave the same answer.
Santa had a lot of integrity, because he told us both candidly that he could not fulfil our requests.
Then we were asked to smile, and all three of us did … but I can’t post that photo, because the lowest price for that picture was $19.99.
As we made our way to the picture-buying counter, I glanced to my left … and noticed that some people were leaving their encounter with another Santa.
I realize that for many people all over the globe, Santa is the symbol for Christmas … especially to children … so I promise not to bash him unmercifully.
But it struck me that night that we were being sold a bill of goods.
Some quick thoughts:
While there are many Santas … even at Macy’s … there is only one God.
While Santa is completely human … and thus confined to one place at one time … God is spirit … and is everywhere at once.
While Santa pops out around Thanksgiving … and then mysteriously disappears after December 25 … God is available to us every day of the year.
While Santa can only fulfil material requests … for things like dolls, balls, and iPods … God can fulfil any request … for healing … or salvation … or jobs.
While Santa only grants visitors a moment of his time … God lets us linger in His presence as long as we want.
While Santa increasingly offers his services for cash … God’s services remain free of charge.
While children like to think that Santa can do almost anything … make toys at a rapid rate … read our thoughts and motives … fly through the air in a sleigh … descend and ascend through narrow chimneys … visit every child in the world in one night … and stay perpetually ancient and fat … adults know that Santa has his limits.
But God has no limits. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
With God, there can be a miracle in every heart … in every home … and on every street … all year long.
And the real miracle came not in the form of a jolly old man in a red suit, but in the form of a child born in Bethlehem.
Let’s make that news the focus of our celebration this Christmas season!
Restoring Kingdom Builders 