TWAS THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house, unwrapped gifts lay stacked with wrappings and bows. Gift wrap, scissors, gift bags galore seemed to be scattered all over the floor.

As I checked my list to make certain I didn’t forget anyone, I shrieked in terror and rushed from the house. Grabbing car keys and purse I jammed on the brakes, jerked the car forward and then hit reverse and rushed from the drive to the mall on the west side.

I found a parking spot and rushed through the doors in search of the perfect gift that would amaze and excite. I rushed down aisles filled with holiday shoppers; baskets loaded with gifts as they reached for another.

I searched every aisle, and then saw an amazing sight. In the corner, almost hidden from everyone’s view, as if the store didn’t want anyone to know, stood the reason why everyone shopped till they dropped.

It wasn’t a display of a man dressed in red with eight reindeer and a large sack on the sleigh.

No, this display was humble and caused me to stop and remember the songs and rehearsals of long-ago days when Christmas meant more than the latest gadget and toy.

This display was more than words could describe, it was a display that brought joy to my heart, and I wanted to shout. Instead, I looked at the three wise men in humble adoration, shepherds leaning on their staffs with sheep in attendance, and Mary and Joseph looking on in wonder, not for a simple baby asleep on the hay, but a Savior who came to bring joy to the world.

Then I realized I wasn’t alone. Other shoppers had stopped and stared with eyes full of remembrance and then I heard it, softly at first, and then the others joined in, and my lips sang along.

Then overhead, I heard a change in the tinny Christmas music, and I no longer felt rushed and in need of that perfect Christmas gift. For you see the perfect Christmas gift didn’t come wrapped in bows. It didn’t come with commercials and last-minute woes. This Christmas gift came from the Father above and lay in a manger to bring peace and love.

Merry Christmas

Valerie J Routhieaux

17 December 2024