pam Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 (edited) For those that don't like the sentimental stories etc..this would be the time to stop reading. 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, who 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, as 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" Edited December 19, 2009 by pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalShadow Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 For those that don't like the sentimental stories etc..this would be the time to stop reading.Done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithLBrown Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Absolutely loved this story! Oftentimes what we think are mistakes are not mistakes at all. As in this case, the little girl's upside down "M" helped to display the message of Christmas that the audience needed to remind them of the true meaning of Christmas. Thank you so much for sharing. This was an excellent way to start my cold wintry morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Churchmouse Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 I'm always a sucker for a sentimental story. I loved this one. You should post it every year as a reminder to us all of what Christmas it really all about. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted December 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 I enjoy them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Yes and for those that don't or can't appreciate sentimental stories etc etc—please there's no need to leave a post. Just use that handy dandy back-button and we'll all pretend you were never here.. Pam, I thought it was very cute. Thanks for sharing. This is the sort of thing my mum and her friends like to pass around to each other via email. Maybe I'll send it a long :] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADoyle90815 Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 That was cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalShadow Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Yes and for those that don't or can't appreciate sentimental stories etc etc—please there's no need to leave a post. Just use that handy dandy back-button and we'll all pretend you were never here.. I was just joking, not trying to be a Grinch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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