The "W" in Christmas

The "W" in Christmas

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

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 theprecious family moments, and of course, the true meaning ofChristmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an excitingseason for a six year old.


For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's WinterPageant.


I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of theproduction, unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with hisTeacher, she assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning ofthe 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 minutesearly, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around theroom 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 theholiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakesand good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I wasslightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzymittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.

Those in the front row - center stage - held up large letters, one byone, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold upthe letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until eachchild holding up his portion had presented the complete message,

"Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddently, 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,

"CHRISTWASLOVE"

And I believe, He still is. Amazed in His presence, humbled by His love.