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: "CHRISTWAS LOVE" And, I believe, He still is.
© Candy Chand
