There are 2 commercials I look for every year that signal the season of Christmas. These commercials have been running since I was a kid and continue to come back on TV twenty years later.

The first is the Campbell’s soup spot where a snowman melts into a kid. The second is the M&M’s ad where the candies meet up with Santa Claus:

You probably know the M&M’s commercial by heart. The three mythical characters bump into each other under the Christmas tree and all faint at the other’s sight, muttering in disbelief, “They do exist”.

I look forward to this commercial every year because, for just a few seconds, it triggers the childlike wonder that Christmas is supposed to inspire in us. 

It’s easy to become cynical at Christmas. The skepticism begins for many of us as soon as we find out the truth about Santa. A small piece of our sense of wonder about the world fades out.

The farther away we get from our childhood the more Christmas becomes less of a joy and more of a burden.

It can be nearly impossible to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in our hearts – especially today as we hear the news of a different shooting every night and as social media finds a new cause to cry over every day.

When we read the story of Christmas every year it can be a challenge to connect to it year after year. Some years we just let the words go in one ear and out the other and take the story for granted.

Sometimes we have to step back from the story to remember the sense of awe it is meant to instill.

The Son of God sent to the world in human form. A baby implanted into the womb of a virgin girl. The Prince of Peace born without fanfare inside a filthy farmhouse.

Though the story is familiar, though we can recite it by memory, it ought never to stop inspiring wonder in our hearts.

The story of Christmas is a story meant to shock and confound and inspire. It is a reminder of hope amidst the hopelessness of the world. It is a reminder that miracles, well, they do exist.

For if you actually let your guard down, if you’re able to tune out the cynicism and skepticism, if you open your eyes to what’s around – you never know – you may see something more amazing than a talking M&M.

What’s your favorite Christmas commercial? Leave a comment and join the conversation. And be sure to subscribe to Pop God to follow along with The 12 Blogs Of Christmas!