We are now into December, the final stretch.  During this month I often watch holiday specials with my family, so they will be the inspiration for this series.  This blog is dedicated to one of my favorite Christmas specials, Frosty the Snowman.  You might be familiar with Frosty the Snowman, a jolly happy soul with a corncob pip a button nose and two eyes made out of coal.  What began as a song soon evolved into the Christmas cartoon that comes on every December.  If you haven’t seen Frosty, let me warn you that spoilers are about to follow.

The short version of the television special goes like this.  There is a disgruntled magician who performs for a school and throws away his magic hat.  The kids take the hat and put it on the head of a snowman.  The magic from the hat makes Frosty come to life.  Frosty and the kids soon realize that he will melt if he stays there, so they make a plan to get him to the North Pole.  Karen, one of the kids, has a choice to make.  She can let Frosty face the journey alone or she can go with him, even though it might be risky for her.  She decides to go with Frosty to keep him safe and company.  They board a refrigerated train and start heading north.  The problem is that Karen is a little girl, so she starts getting cold.  She needs to find someplace warm.  Frosty has a choice to make.  He can let her face this journey alone or he can go with her, even though it might be risky.  Through a series of events, Frosty and Karen find a greenhouse in the middle of a cold forest.  Frosty carries her into the greenhouse and then the evil magician locks them in and Frosty melts.  Luckily, Santa comes and saves the day and brings Frosty back to life.

What does this have to do with anything?  Karen and Frosty both make a choice.  They choose to join the other on the journey even though it is risky, even though it will make them uncomfortable.  They choose to sacrifice themselves for the other.  In our day to day life we see this same choice being made every day by members of the armed forces, police, firefighters, etc.  I’d also argue that in times of stress and challenges, we have the opportunity to see and display this strength as well as we work with each other.  I had a leader I admire tell me once that during times of stress you will see some people disappear and some rise to the occasion.  Those who disappear will leave people to figure it out on their own.  Those who rise will walk with those who are trying to figure everything out, even carrying them if the need be.

The challenge: Do we have the strength to be like Frosty and Karen?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry