CS Lewis had a prime facie complicated approach to Christmas but on analysis it is clear that there are underlying reasons for his complicated response to this jolly season.
In the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Narnia is in a miserable situation. It is a land which echos the lyrics ‘Who have winter, but no Christmas‘ from the hymn ‘Cradled in a Manger meanly’ by George S. Rowe (1830-1913). It is part of the breaking down of the Witches power that Father Christmas can break into Narnia for the first time in a hundred years and start to distribute gifts and jollification. It is a horrific moment in the book when the Witch discovers a small group of Narnians who are celebrating Christmas. She calls the feasting a wicked waste then turns them to stone. A small evil but one that cements Jadis as one of the villains of children’s literature. Aslan and Father Christmas as on the side of jollification and fun whilst evil is frigid and cruel to baby squirrels. All joking aside this is a theme that is important in Lewis who says that heaven delights in looking down on a family enjoying a meal together and generally argues that fun is a virtue in and of itself. In stark contrast the demon Screwtape asks Wormwood the pointed question of his patient “Why should the creature be happy?”
Christmas in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is an essential breaking down of the Witches power but in the real world Lewis was strongly critical of the commercialisation and the onerous duties associated with modern Christmas in England. In ‘Xmas and Christmas A Lost Chapter from Herodotus’ Lewis describes the horror of secular Xmas from buying unnecessary tat as presents to spending too much on food and drink. The horror of thinking that you have bought all the gifts you need and then get a surprise gift that you need to go back out into the over crowded shops so you can reciprocate. His imaginary correspondent observes the ritual of Xmas and asks a priest why Xmas and Christmas have to be at the same time and the priest replies that it is a racket. The theme that xmas is a racket is repeated in ‘What Christmas Means to Me’ with Lewis pointing out that the ritual of gift giving had grown and grown out of recognisable proportions. The Victorians had given modest gifts between lovers, parents to children and cards between acquaintances. Lewis condemns this on a number of grounds with the strongest being that it gives little pleasure. He is told that it is good for the economy, for trade, but bites back that rather than be saddled with junk it might be better to just give money to the shops as a charity. Finally in ‘Delinquents in the Snow’ Lewis is confronted by the delinquents who have been tormenting his household and stealing from his garden murdering carols at his front door for tips. This is a dense essay that is well worth a read where Lewis ranges far and wide over criminal policies and the moral duties of the Christian.
So I wish you all a very jolly Christmas with your families and friends. Please don’t spend too much or struggle with the shops. Happy Christmas one and all.