The "W" in Christmas

“Each December I had vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations – extensive card writing, endless baking and 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.
One of my sons was in kindergarten this particular year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks he’d been memorizing the song for his school’s “Winter Pageant”. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I’d be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation and that all parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately my son was happy with the compromise.
So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I came in a few minutes early and found a seat. Around the room I saw many more parents scampering around to find seats as well. Then the students were lead 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 songs.
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. My son was aglow, as were all of his classmates. Those in the front row held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class sang “C is for Christmas” a child would hold up the letter C. Then, “H is for Happy”, and on and on, until each child held up their portion to present the complete message, “Christmas Love”. The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we all noticed her; a small, quiet girl holding her letter M upside down – totally unaware that her M appeared as a W. The audience of mostly 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one’s mistake. But she had no idea they were giggling at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her W. Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the giggling continued until the last letter was raised and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen and for some, even fill with tears. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holidays in the first place, why, even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was raised, the message read loud and clear: “CHRIST WAS LOVE” And I believe he still is.”

Author unknown