I See… a Double-Dog Christmas

(WARNING: THIS POST WAS WRITTEN LIVE, DURING A HOME VIEWING OF MR. KRUEGER’S CHRISTMAS)

Every once in a while the Mormon Third Eye entertains requests to educate readers on desired topics, but this is the first time it has been “dared” to comment on anything. My adult married son formally double-dog dared me to post something eloquent on the short LDS Christmas classic starring Jimmy Stewart, “ Mr. Krueger’s Christmas.”  I cannot pass up a double-dog dare.

Obviously the story is about Christmas.  The comforting narrator’s voice in the last 30 seconds of the 25-minute video claims that it is all about love. But what does the Mormon Third Eye see?

It sees Willy Krueger- a humble, lonely, and somewhat odd manager of an old apartment building who lives out a meager existence in the one-room bowels of its basement.   Willy initially seems to be a prisoner of his own desires and imagination.  Throughout his solitary survival he is kept company only by a cat who sleeps a lot and his own vivid dreams about directing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, decorating the town’s Christmas tree, and personally witnessing the birth of the Savior.  Superficially, it appears that Willy struggles with a reality that punishes him for his ancient, awkward, and often quirky communication skills, and hence he seeks comfort and reinforcement in his fantasies.

The Mormon Third Eye, however, proposes the opposite.  Could it be that the lessons taught in Willy’s daydreams-  lessons about worshipping God through music, honoring the innocence of children via decorating the town tree, and thanking the Savior for his perfect love of our imperfect souls- is what really matters? If this is true, and I think it is, then it doesn’t matter that Willy is visionary strange old  man living in a decrepit basement with a drowsy cat and an overactive imagination. In the midst of his humble circumstances, he has the purpose of life figured out; have the rest of us let our retina-screen Ipads, Bluetooth-wired BMWS, and multi-level mansions get in the way?  Our only hope is over the next 17 days, a loving Heavenly Father will reward our precious pondering on what Christ has done for us with the heart of Willy Krueger.

Thank you Willy, and thank you son.