The “W” in Christmas 12/19/11

The “W” in Christmas 12/19/11

 

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

 

I had cut back on nonessential obligations – extensive card writing,

endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found

myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and

of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. 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 assured me 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,

found a spot on the cafeteria floor 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 bright 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 her; a

small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter “M” upside down

totally unaware her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience of 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 came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that 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.