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Each December, I vowed
to make Christmas a peaceful experience.
I had cut back on nonessential obligations -
extensive card writing, endless baking, overspending.
Yet, still, I found myself exhausted, unable to
appreciate the family moments and of course,
the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten.
It was an exciting season for a six year old.
For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs
for his school's "Winter Pageant".
I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working
the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his
shining moment, I spoke with his teacher.
She said there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of
the presentation. All Parents unable to attend
that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately,
Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So, the morning of the dress rehearsal,
I filed in ten minutes early and sat down.
Around the room, I saw several other parents
quietly scampering to their seats.
As I waited, the students were led into the room.
Each class, accompanied by their teacher,
sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group,
one by one, rose to perform their song.
Because the public school system had long stopped
referring to the holiday as "Christmas",
I didn't expect anything other than fun
commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer,
Santa Claus, snowflakes, and good cheer.
So, when my son's class rose to sing,
"Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback
by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow,
as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens,
red sweaters and snowcaps upon their heads.
Those in the front row - center stage -
held up large letters, one by one, to spell out
the title of the song as the class would sing.
"C is for Christmas", a child would hold up the letter C.
Then, "H is for Happy", and on and on, until each child
holding up his portion had presented the complete
message, "Christmas Love."
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly,
we noticed a small girl in the front row holding
the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware
her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience
of the 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little
one's mistake, but she had no idea they were laughing
at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".
Although many teachers tried to shush the children,
the laughter continued until the last letter was raised,
and we all saw it together.
A hush can over the audience and eyes began to widen.
In an instant, we understood the reason we were there,
why we celebrated the holiday in the first place,
why even in the chaos, there was a purpose
for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high,
the message read loud and clear:
"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"
And I believe, he still is.
Amazed in His presence...
humbled by His Love...
Blessings for this Christmas time
and for the New Year to Come!
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