Always Winter Never Christmas

I guess I have to admit that the snow is beautiful. Even for a "summer-lover/winter-hater" like me, it's undeniable. There's something amazing about fresh snowfall. The snow this morning reminds me of C.S. Lewis. One of his most powerful phrases from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is "It's always winter, never Christmas". In the context of "The Chronicles of Narnia", Lewis refers to a cold dark time in a fictional land when the joy and hope of Christmas was missing. The implications for us today are sobering. Christmas is the proclamation that an incomparable marvelous Light entered darkness. For me, Christmas is the bright spot in my otherwise least favorite time of the year. Days are shorter and I prefer light. Days are colder and I prefer warm. Animals withdraw and I prefer activity. Foliage dies and I prefer the flowers of springtime. Yet, Christmas is a reminder that Hope wins. New life is imminent. Some time ago the band Relient K released a song based upon the words of C.S. Lewis. The lyrics are worth considering during the season of hope.

"In Like A Lion (Always Winter)"

It's always nice to look out the window
And see those very first few flakes of snow
And later on we can go outside
And create the impression of an angel that just fell from the sky

When February rolls around I'll roll my eyes
Turn a cold shoulder to these even colder skies
And by the fire my heart it heaves a sigh
For the green grass waiting on the other side

It's always winter but never Christmas
It seems this curse just can't be lifted
Yet in the midst of all this ice and snow
Our hearts stay warm cause they are filled with hope

It'd be so nice to look out the window
And see the leaves on the trees begin to show
The birds would congregate and sing
A song of birth a song of newer things

The wind would calm and the sun would shine
I'd go outside and I'd squint my eyes
But for now I will simply just withdraw
Sit here and wish for this world to thaw

And everything it changed overnight
This dying world you brought it back to life
And deep inside I felt things
Shifting everything was melting
Away oh away
And you gave us the most beautiful of days

Cause when it's always winter but never Christmas
Sometimes it feels like you're not with us
But deep inside our hearts we know
That you are here and we will not lose hope