THE "W" IN CHRISTMAS
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 over spending.
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 it's 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.
