Believe!

I have to hand it to Macy's graphic designers.  The little girl they've created for their seasonal holiday campaign is adorable.  She's been popping up in different ad venues since Thanksgiving and there she was again this morning in today's Times, popping a letter to Santa into a mailbox.

Now this wasn't your garden-variety mailbox, with a US Postal Service eagle on its side.  No, this one was emblazoned with the word "Believe" -- a word that also showed up in giant letters on the front of Macy's flagship store on Thanksgiving Day.

But what should one believe in?  Santa?  The therapeutic benefits of shopping?  During Advent, our faith invites -- indeed calls -- us to believe in the promise, the hope, the redemptive power of the nativity, and to encourage others to do likewise.

So, by all means, be inspired by Macy's ads, and follow their advice, even if not in the way they intend.  By all means: Believe!

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