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"

And,  I believe, He still is..

Amazed  in His presence...
..humbled  by His love.