Is there anything better than walking around Walmart early in the morning before the world wakes and gets busy? Of course, I can think of several things: attending services at the Chapel of St. John’s College at Cambridge (or any service that utilizes the organ), the smell of the Sistine Chapel, the stained glass at Chartes Cathedral or Sainte-Chapelle, oh the list is indeed large. But a simple and guilty pleasure of mine is walking the fluorescent-lit aisles of Walmart in the still of twilight. It’s no small secret in these parts that I love Walmart.

Walmart is especially wondrous at this time of year. The Halloween aisles have cleared, leaving behind just a hodgepodge of leftover junk. Thanksgiving is in full swing with marginal turkey deals, turkey-sized crockpots on sale, and lots of marshmallows. Most special of all are those ten aisles glittering with gold, silver, red and green. It’s nearly Christmastide! If that doesn’t bring a smile to your face, let me come over and I will either sit with you in silent prayer or bring cheer to your spirit with joyous stories of hope and love, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!

God granted me a beautiful time of grace as I pondered his beneficence, seen in the beauty of cheap, China-produced Christmas ornamentation. Many may focus on the bad of Walmart, and truly there are many aspects of bad, especially the origin of many of these decorations, revealed by The Guardian’s expose' of Yiwu's holiday factories five years ago. Nevertheless, I agree with Terrence Malick, in that if we take the path of grace, our eyes are opened to the beauty of the world in all things, even what might be seen as ugly: “All the world is shining around...and love is smiling through all things.” Even Walmart.

Today, I pondered this radiant love. In doing so, God opened to me a window -- an idea. How many times in this world has someone ranked the best Walmart Christmas decorations? How many times have you just wandered those halls and looked for beauty rather than expediency and cheapness? I invite you to do so some time in the coming weeks -- not just at Walmart, but wherever you are led. Look for beauty in all things and ponder it. Beauty is not a given -- it is there but unless you dwell on it, you may very well miss it. What, then is life, without beauty, the one thing we can sense which opens us to the Good, or as Socrates said through Plato:

quote:
But beauty could be seen, brightly shining, by all who were of that happy band, -- we philosophers following in the train of Zeus, others in company with other gods; at which time we beheld the beatific vision and were initiated into a mystery which may be truly called most blessed, celebrated by us in our state of innocence, before we had any experience of evils to come, when we were admitted to the sight of apparitions innocent and simple and calm and happy, which we beheld shining in pure light, pure ourselves and not yet enshrined in that living tomb which we carry about now that we are imprisoned in the body like an oyster in his shell. Let me linger over the memory of scenes which have passed away. But of beauty, I repeat that we saw her there shining in company with the other celestial Forms; and coming to earth we find her here too, shining in clearness through the clearest aperture of sense. For sight is the most piercing of our bodily senses; though not by that is wisdom seen -- her loveliness would have been transporting if there had been a visible image of her, and the other ideas, if they had visible counterparts, would be equally lovely. But this is the privilege of beauty, that being the loveliest she is also the most palpable to sight.

My beloved sisters and brothers, I give to you, TulaneLSU’s Top 10 Beautiful Walmart Christmas Decorations, 2019 edition:

10.

Fake-porcelain church from town scene. Remarkably, this quite detailed, hand-painted piece is $14.92 (I don’t understand the Columbus Day pricing). Either they are paying the painters $1 an hour or the painters are machines. I remember my grandmother collecting these town scene pieces decades ago and it costing her close to $100 for something like this.

9.

Dancing Santa. This piece borders on gaudy, but this six-foot Santa is so much fun. He sings and dances to whatever music you upload to his mainframe. At $99, you are going to need to purchase him this week because he will be sold out. He’s everything good that is Teddy Rupkin, Big Mouth Billy Bass, and Santa. I haven’t danced so publicly since the final scene of Never Say Never. I wish I could afford him.

8.

Dancing, talking, singing Gold Retriever. Being a dog, he’s a little cuter than Santa. I’m not sure what makes this Christmas, but he is wearing a red hat and scarf. I guess that’s all it takes nowadays. At $89, he’s cheaper than a living dog and is less maintenance.

This post was edited on 11/15/19 at 1:32 pm