Squirrel!

S-q-u-i-r-r-e-l!  

How many of you immediately recognized the title of this post from that wacky event in Christmas Vacation?  Chevy Chase peers into his tree, and spies the squirrel.  Immediately, the squirrel jumps from the tree--and absolute mayhem breaks out.  First it chases everyone upstairs, then downstairs--on and on goes the stampede.  What's wrong with this picture goes to the heart of the movie itself.  The complete exaggerated response is way out of line with what should really happen--a squirrel does not chase people, or rather--do people stampede from a squirrel?

Now think about the movie--comedy in this movie comes from being a farce, gross exaggeration. Reality takes a "vacation" and laughter erupts. Comedy itself comes from  the heart of life that places us in a whole new scene—a new place in life from which to gain perspective.  The movie shows us the contours of lives and a season that is way out of line with the season itself—so that perhaps we can recapture what it really means.  

Forget the squirrel--we could just as easily have said "Christmas Lights," and you would have pictured the famous Griswald house ablaze with lights and the Hallelujah Chorus playing in the background as the local electric company hits crisis mode to deliver more power.   

How does this farcical display live out Shakespeare's counsel--"by misdirections find directions out?"
The farce points to the reality of the real, true Light that "shines in the darkness and the darkness has not put it out."   (John 1) 

Oh yeah, by the way--I got into this post because of a squirrel in our wall. No stampede happened.  We evicted Mr. Squirrel and closed his front door.  But I got a good laugh remembering Christmas Vacation and that hilarious scene--"s-q-u-i-r-r-e-l"  !!!