True Reason for the Season

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

I had cut back on non-essential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself 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."

Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I attended a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation.

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 surprised by it's 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 we noticed a small girl holding the letter "M" upside down - so it appeared as a "W".

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at the little one's mistake. Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together.

And He still is.... CHRIST IS LOVE!