Unexpectedly, Miss Piggy became a part of our Advent traditions about 10 years ago. When Eldest daughter was quite young, my mother gave her one of those Advent calendars that has a little book to read each day of the season. It was a secular calendar that had Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog reliving the O. Henry story, The Gift of the Magi. My daughter delighted in the story and looked forward each year to the daily books, which we would read, then hang on the tree from their decorative little ribbons.
One year, before my husband came into the Church, I worried that I shouldn't include anything secular in our traditions. I was alone in trying to impress upon the kids what the season was really all about, and I was trying hard to be sure that my children were focused on Jesus. Though well-intentioned, I was wrong. That year, at the beginning of Advent, my daughter immediately requested the Muppet Advent Calendar and my heart was immediately softened to the thing. It was, I finally saw clearly, a beautiful way to include my mother (who is not a Christian) in our Advent preparation. She lives far away and we see little enough of her ... wasn't this, in a strange but lovely way, making her part of our focus on Jesus? I let go of any worries about the little secular traditions that we include in Advent. The few that are part of our family history connect us to those in our family who are not yet connected to Jesus.
And, who am I to say that God can't work through a Muppet?
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