The "W" in Christmas

The "W" in Christmas
W
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:
"Christ Was Love"
And, I believe, He still is.
Author Unknown