The air in the room was cold, not quite cold enough to make clouds of her breath, but cold enough for her nose to lose its feeling.   She couldn’t sleep, there was no use trying.  Tomorrow was Christmas and she’d counted down the days since, well, since a lot of days ago.  The excitement she felt in the pit of her stomach was only matched by the quick rhythm of her heartbeat.   She lay there in the dark, the neighbor’s dog barking at the moon, she supposed, what else could he be barking at this time of night?  Her young mind had not been awakened to all the things that creep in the dark.  “I can’t wait.”  She whispered to the empty room as she slid out from under the blankets piled high for extra warmth and let her feet land quietly on the bedside rug.  The sudden cold on her body sent a shiver down her spine, but that only made her hurry all the more.  A warm, cozy bed was no match for what she knew lay in the next room. 

She made her way to the door, it was pulled almost to the doorframe, allowing the slightest light sliver to cut the darkness.  Of course, she’d walked this distance for her whole life so she’d have no trouble making it to the door in the blackest of night.  But, a little light is always helpful, she thought as she delicately hopped over Bobo, her beloved stuffed bear.  “How did you get down here?” she questioned him sternly yet quietly as she scooped him off the floor and made the last few steps.  She peeked through the crack and saw the hall light burning brightly as though it were on watch as the family slept.  The living room, with its quaint charm, was only a series of shadows that she could barely make sense of; it’s a good thing she knew the room like the back of her hand. 

She pulled the bedroom door back, flinching as it groaned on its hinges, the cold always made it groan louder, at least that’s what she thought.  She opened the door just enough for her slight frame to fit through and walked briskly with feathery steps into the living room.  She looked both ways, fully expecting to see her Mother come around the corner and scold her for not being asleep and in bed; she was overjoyed when the coast was clear.  “We did it, Bobo.”  She shifted him from one hip to the other as she rounded the couch and quietly sat on the floor.  She positioned Bobo right beside her, careful to make sure he could see the show that was about to unfold.  The bear, floppy from years of love, immediately slumped over on its side, but that was okay because he could still see, she reasoned.

After sitting still in the dark for what felt like a long time, she finally decided to make her move.  She got on her knees and crawled around the large tree until she was as close to the wall as she could get, then she laid on her belly and slid forward on the wood floor until she could reach the cord.  Being ever so careful she plugged the cord into the socket and like a fantastic star show shimmering in the night sky, the tree came to life.  She laid quietly underneath it, waiting for Mom to demand that she come out from under the tree and get back in bed.  But, nothing happened.  Just the quiet of night and the dog still barking next door.   She pushed herself out the way she’d come, then sat back and looked straight up at the magnificent show before her.  Her little heart sang in the moment; what pure joy to see a tree lit up in the dead of night. 

The darkness is no competition for the light.

She quietly crawled back to her spot next to Bobo and plopped down on her bottom.  “Look at it, Bobo, isn’t it amazing?”  She interpreted his silence as awe and she couldn’t agree more.   The lights were all the colors in her crayon box and some of them looked like rainbows as they reflected off the shiny bulbs around them.  She sat there, in the cold, just her and Bobo for the longest time soaking in the beauty of it all.  Even at the tender young age of eight she understood the magic of the season.

As she sat in wonder she remembered something her Momma told her that very day, “Chlorissa, the lights and presents and all the food and festivities are fun and we should enjoy them, but the real reason for the season is Jesus.”   

Jesus. 

Chlorissa remembered her Sunday School teacher saying the same thing.  He is the reason.  At eight, it was hard to understand what all that meant, but what she determined was that if Jesus made this beautiful tree and filled her belly with good food and made her family so happy as they opened gifts, then he must be pretty amazing.  

“Jesus,”  she said not really realizing she was praying because it felt more like talking, “thank you for, well,” she paused not sure how to name all the things she was thankful for, so she finished “thank you for everything.”   She picked up Bobo and held his worn face against hers, her heart full of gratitude and joy.   She sat there until her legs began to shiver so she decided to climb up on the couch to stare at the tree some more.   She grabbed the multi colored afghan thrown casually on the cushion and wrapped it around her feeling the warmth almost immediately. 

Even at eight, she realized the gifts, although fun to open, really weren’t what made Christmas so special.  Her night by the tree, admiring its beauty and serenity, and her first prayer to Jesus on her very own, is what made the day so special.  She woke up to the sound of her Momma’s voice and the smell of brewing coffee.  The sun shone through the window and, amazingly, there were more gifts under the tree!  This was going to be the best day ever she decided as she grabbed Bobo and headed toward the sound of murmuring voices. 

She carried out this tradition, the midnight tree watching, for years to come and it always reminded her that in the middle of the hustle and bustle there is a reason we celebrate.   It’s like her Mom told her all those years ago, “all of it is to be enjoyed, Chlorissa, but the REAL reason we celebrate is Jesus.”

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!