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On December 21, Kasie and Rex took on the dark side of the Christmas story and talked in general about how stories need balance. Here are the show notes:

Theme for the day

Story Balance / The Dark Side of Christmas

Agenda

• Quick Catch Up
• All stories need balance: examples
• How Christmas gets its balance

Segment 1

All stories need balance. Without it, you have a boring slog through the average person’s life or, worse, the Mary Sue effect. What is story balance? How does one achieve it? And does the greatest story ever told have that balance? Let’s unpack (i.e. “Ask AI”)

“Story balance” refers to the act of distributing different elements within a narrative evenly, ensuring that no single aspect like plot, character development, setting, or theme dominates too much, creating a well-rounded and engaging story for the reader; it’s about finding the right proportion between various narrative components to avoid an uneven or lopsided story. (try this link and this one and this one).

Our AI magic goes on to say there’s a skill to balancing 

• character and plot, 
• exposition and action,
• dialogue and description, and 
• conflict and resolution.

Segment 2

But what about thematic balance? What about not being too preachy while also having a moral story to tell? Let’s refine our AI inquiry:

“Story theme balance” refers to the art of integrating a story’s central theme throughout the narrative without letting it overpower the plot or characters, ensuring that the theme is present and impactful without becoming overly preachy or obvious, allowing for a well-rounded and engaging story experience for the reader. Try this link and this link and this link. 

Key points (according to AI) in theme balance include:

• Subtle integration: Weaving the theme into character actions, dialogue, and plot developments, rather than explicitly stating it.
• Supporting the narrative: The theme should enhance the story, not dominate it.
• Avoiding didacticism: Not explicitly lecturing the reader about the theme.
• Complementary elements: Balancing the theme with other story elements like plot and character development.

Segment 3

Okay, so what about the Christmas story? Back to AI we go:

The “dark side” of the Christmas story refers to the harsh realities and tragic elements surrounding Jesus’ birth, including the forced displacement of the Holy Family due to King Herod’s massacre of the innocents, the challenging journey to Bethlehem during Mary’s pregnancy, and the overall theme of entering a world marked by hardship and suffering despite the message of hope brought by Jesus’ arrival. Try this link and this one.

The basics include a difficult journey and a lack of shelter. These are “stakes raisers” as are the political climate and the persecution of the Jews.

On the less religious, more secular side, we have these elements of thematic balance:

Krampus – a foil to Santa, the goat-like horned creature who punishes children that misbehave (link)

• Krampus is a German figure that originated in the 12th century. His name comes from the German word Krampen, which means “claw”
• Krampus is said to accompany Santa on his yearly journey, but instead of bringing presents, he punishes children who misbehave. He is said to roam the streets on the Eve of St. Nicholas Day, December 6, and lead the naughty to their deaths by eating, drowning, or beating them with birch tree branches. (link)

Not to be outdone, here are several other alternative tellings of the classic Christmas cliches:

• The evergreen tree – it could survive winter, try draping it with animal entrails
• The mistletoe – it grows like a fungus on trees and was banned in churches because of its deadly wood
• The classic red-suited Santa? Coca-Cola marketing.
• The French butcher who chops up children and pickles them – unless they’re saved by St Nick, their patron saint (link)
• What if the elves in his workshop are actually kidnapped children forced into slave labor?
• What about the Yule Lads of Iceland – 13 of them – trolls who preyed on naughty children.

Okay, seeing a theme? Adults scaring the children into behaving themselves with tales of mythical creatures enacting horrifying punishments?