HighSchool Fan
12-21-2005, 11:43 AM
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
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:
"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"
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:
"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"