Good Morning Everyone,
The week has arrived!! Count down, five, four, three, two, ONE!!!
Todays story needs tissues, lots of them!! Sometime today I will be posting a Twas the night before Christmas variation, the actual story wll be posted X-mas eve..
Todays Story:
The Christmas Star
This was my grandmother's first Christmas without
grandfather, and we had promised him before he passed away
that we would make this her best Christmas ever. When my
mom, dad, three sisters and I arrived at her little house in
the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, we found she had
waited up all night for us to arrive from Texas. After we
exchanged hugs, Donna, Karen, Kristi, and I ran into the
house. It did seem a little empty without grandfather, and
we knew it was up to us to make this Christmas special for
her.
Grandfather had always said that the Christmas tree was
the most important decoration of all. So we immediately set
to work on the beautiful artificial tree that was kept
stored in grandfather's closet. Although artificial, it was
the most genuine looking Douglas fir I had ever seen. Tucked
away in the closet with the tree was a spectacular array of
ornaments, many of which had been my father's when he was a
little boy. As we unwrapped each one, grandmother had a
story to go along with it. My mother strung the tree with
bright white lights and a red button garland; my sisters and
I carefully placed the ornaments on the tree; and finally
father was given the honor of lighting the tree.
We stepped back to admire our handiwork. To us, it
looked magnificent, as beautiful as the tree in Rockefeller
Center. But something was missing.
"Where's your star?" I asked.
The star was my grandmother's favorite part of the
tree, for it represented the star of Bethlehem that had led
the wise men to the infant Jesus.
"Why, it must be here somewhere," she said, starting to
sort through the boxes again. "Your grandfather always
packed everything so carefully when he took the tree down."
As we emptied box after box and found no star, my
grandmother's eyes filled with tears. This was no ordinary
ornament, but an elaborate golden star covered with colored
jewels and blue lights that blinked on and off. Moreover,
grandfather had given it to grandmother some fifty years ago
on their first Christmas together. Now, on her first
Christmas without him, the star was gone, too.
"Don't worry, Grandmother," I reassured her. "We'll
find it for you."
My sisters and I formed a search party.
"Let's start in on the closet where the ornaments
were," Donna said. "Maybe the box just fell down."
That sounded logical, so we climbed on a chair and
began to search that tall closet of grandfather's. We found
father's old yearbooks and photographs of relatives,
Christmas cards from years gone by and party dresses and
jewelry boxes, but no star.
We searched under beds and over shelves, inside and
outside, until we had exhausted every possibility. We could
see grandmother was disappointed, although she tried not to
show it.
"We could buy a new star," Kristi offered.
"I'll make you one from construction paper," Karen
chimed in.
"No," Grandmother said. "This year, we won't have a
star."
By now, it was dark outside, and time for bed, since
Santa would soon be here. As we lay in bed, we could hear
the sound of snowflakes falling quietly outside.
The next morning, my sisters and I woke up early, as
was our habit on Christmas day - first, to see what Santa
had left under the tree, and second, to look for the
Christmas star in the sky. After a traditional breakfast of
apple pancakes, the family sat down together to open
presents. Santa had brought me the Easy Bake Oven I wanted,
and Donna a Chatty Cathy doll. Karen was thrilled to get the
doll buggy she had asked for, and Kristi to get the china
tea set. Father was in charge of passing out the presents,
so that everyone would have something to open at the same
time.
"The last gift is to Grandmother from Grandfather," he
said, in a puzzled voice.
"From who?" There was surprise in my grandmother's
voice.
"I found that gift in grandfather's closet when we got
the tree down," Mother explained. "It was already wrapped so
I put it under the tree. I thought it was one of yours."
"Hurry and open it," Karen urged excitedly.
My grandmother shakily opened the box. Her face lit up
with joy when she unfolded the tissue paper and pulled out a
glorious golden star. There was a note attached. Her voice
trembled as she read it aloud:
"Don't be angry with me, dear. I broke your star while
putting up the decorations, and I couldn't bear to tell you.
Thought it was time for a new one. I hope it brings you as
much joy as the first one. Merry Christmas. Love, Bryant."
So grandmother's tree had a star after all, a star that
expressed their everlasting love for one another. It brought
my grandfather home for Christmas in each of our hearts and
made it our best Christmas ever.
By Susan Adair
Have a great week all !!!!!
wb |
