Christmas is an odd time of year, is it not?  The dichotomy of lowly Mary and Joseph in the stable, birthing the Savior of the world as a defenseless baby in the most unpretentious surroundings imaginable juxtaposed with the mad-rush commercialism and gimmie-gimmie mentalities that plague our nation.  It can be a lot to deal with.  How do the two even make sense together?

Last week, my wife and I were a part of a production called Behold the Lamb of God, a musical re-telling of the coming of Christ into the world.  Before the main performance, there was a section called Songwriters in the Round that we were also asked to participate in.  We gladly accepted and began the process of figuring out what songs to perform that would fit within our gifting…two singers and a guitar are limited in some ways.

The standards were considered:  ”Silent Night”, “O Holy Night”, “What Child Is This” and the like were all thoughtfully scrutinized, studied and thought over.  What songs would faithfully capture this picture of great humility that is Jesus born in a manger?  What songs would adequately convey His grandeur and basic awesomeness?

“What Child is This” made the cut.  Full of revelation about this dual role of Jesus both as man and Son of God seemed absolutely fitting and perfect for a setting such as this.  Plus, I already had a good arrangement worked out that I enjoyed playing immensely.

What about that other one, though?  What would work?

“What about ‘I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas?’” my wife chimed in.  I gave her a cursory glance and continued on in pursuit of what we were really going to be singing.  I mean, who in their right mind would sing such a goofy song on such a big stage?  Who would want to do that?

Tricia would.  

But what about the serious side of Christmas?  This was supposed to be all about Jesus and His birth, not some zany little girl singing about her insatiable desire for a hippopotamus.  What good could come out of singing such a shallow, commercialized Christmas song like this?  Read these lyrics and you tell me:

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don’t want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don’t think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won’t have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door, that’s the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too

Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegeterian

There’s lots of room for him in our two-car garage
I’d feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there

Now, you tell me…does that fit in at all with Mary, Joseph or Jesus in any way shape or form?  Let me answer for you real quick:  no.  In fact, this is the commercial bent that our culture has reduced Christmas and the entire season around into:  What can I get?  What more can I have?  What do I want and who’s going to give it to me?

Yet, it would be funny to sing that song, I found myself thinking. Everyone would get a big kick out of it. And, to be honest, Tricia and I had found over the past couple years that this song was among our favorite Christmas-time tunes.  So much so, in fact,  that it is actually the ringtone on both our phones at this very moment.

So I decided a bit reluctantly that we would do it, just simply for the fun of it if for no other reason, and we began working through the chords and keys in preparation for the concert.  However, the serious side of me wouldn’t let up.  What was the connection?  Should we introduce such a selfish and self-serving song in the midst of a production all about Jesus and his entrance into humanity?  I was really torn about this choice.

And then Saturday came.

And on Saturday, my nephews got to open their Christmas gifts in front of the whole family, eagerly ripping through wrapping paper and boxes to discover what the next toy, goody, or game was, smiling from ear to ear as they saw the desires of their little hearts fulfilled underneath the thin layers that laid limp and torn from their anxious unveiling.

It warmed my heart.  It really did.

I was transported, if only for a few moments, back to my childhood and all the memories I had of waiting and eagerly anticipating whatever gift had been the center of my heart’s affection that year.  I could almost reach out and touch that Playstation (yes, the original one) in my minds eye.  I could remember what it felt like to wait.  I could remember what it was like to rely on my parents to deliver on what they promised.

And it was then that the hippo song fully got the “OK” from me.

You see, I tend to get very negative when it comes to the way our society handles Christmas.  I don’t like how gift giving turns into a competition.  I don’t like how people start acting this time of year.  I don’t like the hustle and bustle.  And so my reaction is to scrap the whole thing.  Anything commercial is bad…period.

What I’ve found this year, however, is that there is good hiding behind all this.  You have to look a little bit, but it’s there.

Consider the little girl in the Hippo song for a moment.  This was a real girl asking for a real hippo in a very real way.  The story behind the song actually tells of this little girl getting that hippo and it living in the local zoo for some 50 years.  A hippo!

Yet, all she knew to do was ask.  To make her request known.  To open her mouth and tell whoever was listening that she wanted a hippo and leave it at that.

When you or I think of such a reqeust, we think only of the negative reaction to such an order.  How wouldn’t it work?  Who would say no?  Would anyone say yes?  If not, how could I move the request along in such a way as to get it answered?  If they said yes, would they be lying?  What else could I do to get them to agree?  And on, and on, and on, and on…

You and I don’t know how to just ask and rely.

We are children of the Creator of everything, and yet how often do we really ask Him for things?  Sure, basic needs are often offered up, but He promises those things.  Those are a given.  But He also tells us to ask, and do so repeatedly.  That the desires of our hearts will be ours if asked in Jesus’ name.  That anything we ask will be ours if asked in that name.  (John 14:13-14, Luke 11:1-13, Psalm 37:4)

What do we do with that?  I don’t know about you, but I usually hear that and think, “That’s nice.  Thanks, Father.  I just can’t ask you for that.  I’ll just take some food and shelter and be happy.  I know there may be greater things you want me to accomplish, but I just don’t think you’d give me that, so don’t worry about it.”

Yet my nephews, as children, simply know one thing:  you want something really badly, you ask for it.  That’s it.  After that, it’s in daddy’s hands.

What if we were that way?  What if I, like a child, started asking for the hippo?  God might say, “no” a whole lot, but I can ask, right?  Think back to being a kid.  You asked.  You hoped.  You waited.  If it didn’t pan out, you were disappointed, but you kept asking.  It meant you really wanted it if you were persisitent.  It meant you truly desired it.

Maybe that’s how we could be.  Maybe instead of figuring out how to do everything ourselves, we could start really asking God for the hippos.  Sure, we might get some big, fat “no’s”, but maybe we won’t either.  Maybe, like the girl in the song, we might just get that hippo.

I’d like to think that when we ask like that and He responds,  it’ll only be more glory for Him.

I have some hippos to ask about…do you?