Christmas Love
Copyright 1999 by Candy Chand
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 snow-caps upon their heads. Those in the front row- centre 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.
When the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:
"CHRISTWAS LOVE"
And, I believe, He still is.
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Reprinted by
permission of Candy Chand, from Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul by
Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery and Nancy Mitchell-Autio. In
order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this
publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights
reserved.
Candy Chand is a wife and mother living in Rancho Murieta, CA. Her book, Under
God's Wings, is available nationwide.