The "W" in Christmas

Kelsie's kindergarten Christmas program was last Friday, and she did such great job! I was so very proud of my girl! Having just experienced the whole Christmas concert thing made this little story especially fun for me. I hope you like it too.


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 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 a back 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. Amazed in His
presence . . . humbled by His love. Again, HAVE A BLESSED HOLIDAY
SEASON AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS!