Bless us all

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is when my family watches “The Muppet Christmas Carol” every Christmas Eve. I can’t remember when that started, but at this point, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas if the Martin family wasn’t together quoting “Light the lamp, not the rat, light the lamp, not the rat!” every Dec. 24.  

To be quite honest, Christmas Eve is nearly as important to me as Christmas Day, and I think some of our family traditions have played a role in that.  

If you have never seen it, I urge you to remedy that immediately.  

The Muppets perform the classic Dickens tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge, who is played masterfully by Michael Caine. Caine once said he played the role as if he was in a Shakespearean play and not surrounded by Muppets – and it shows.  

Miss Piggy, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from three spirits – the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. 

The Ghost of Christmas Present is my favorite of the film. He has the best scenes and songs that we all quote and still sing along to without missing a beat.  

I won’t spoil the rest for you. It’s definitely worth a watch this Christmas if you ask me.  

I’m very much looking forward to my family visiting in a couple of days and piling up in our living room to rewatch the movie we have probably seen upward of 25 times.  

What I’m looking forward to even more is who I will be watching it with.  

Toward the end of the movie, Tiny Tim sings my dad’s favorite song, for which this column is titled: “Bless Us All.” It’s a touching song that reminds me of why I love Christmas so much – the family God has so richly blessed me with.  

“Bless us all who gather here
The loving family I hold dear
No place on Earth compares with home
And every path will bring me back from where I roam.” 

Merry Christmas to you and yours. God bless you!