DailySusan Humor Blog

WHAT JACK LIKED BEST

And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
-- Matthew 18:5

We have six adorable, itty bitty cousins in our family. So naturally, the piece de resistance of our Christmas celebration was a nativity pageant starring them.

Baby Paisley was a serene Baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling Baby Gap and laying in an old hula skirt in her infant seat, the closest we could come to hay in a manger.

Simon, 1, was a lamb, though his floppy ears looked a lot like a bunny costume. But he couldn’t be the ox, because the hat with the ox horns was so enormous it covered up his face.

Jackson was thrilled to be the donkey, because the ‘’costume’’ was a donkey headband from the cartoon favorite, ‘’Shrek.’’

Christian was a multicultural shepherd in his Mexican poncho, a soft-shoe cane for a shepherd’s crook, and a headdress from a cast-off scarf with a pink ponytail pouf as the headband.

Carolyn was regal in a beat-up but golden turban from our ‘’Aladdin’’ phase. She carried a plastic shoebox full of costume jewelry that had belonged to my very beloved and much-missed Grammie Miller.

Our own little Maddy was radiant in her golden pipe-cleaner halo and feathery wings, tripping over the donkey’s long tail, too shy to proclaim the good tidings of great joy.

But we all got the point. And I think they did, too. All ages did.

Our teenage daughter Eden worked the lights -- a strobe, for the Star of Bethlehem -- and a newcomer to our family by marriage, 10-year-old Ashleigh, sang a solo from her voice recital. The candlelight revealed glittering tears in many eyes.

As the grand finale, I relished the simple joy of playing ‘’Away in a Manger’’ on the piano that had belonged to my other beloved and much-missed grandmother, while the voices of my loved ones blended softly in the old, familiar tune.

When the last note trailed off, there was a moment of silence -- one of those holy moments in every family’s life in which nothing else is needed and everyone feels wholeness and peace.

Will the children remember it? Maybe not the way we do, but that’s part of the fun. I got a humorous reminder of how kids see Christmas a little differently than we grown-ups do in an email from a relative.

My husband’s Uncle Jack has a namesake grandson named Jack in the Twin Cities. He is 3. Grandpa picked up Jack for a Christmas Eve service presided over by his grandmother, a pastor in a gracious old downtown church. Jack was tubbed and scrubbed, hair wet-combed, with a new outfit on. He had been so excited, he skipped nap.

Let Uncle Jack tell it:

‘’Jack was in awe of the light and large space and all the people and music as we found our seats on the aisle where we could clearly see the manger scene. Jack was wide-eyed throughout, sitting on my lap or standing when we sang. He nodded when I pointed things out to him. But he uttered not a sound throughout the entire service. He asked for not one toy or a handful of Rice Chex or Cheerios. He was focused like a laser on the goings-on up front.

‘’Jack, for a 3-year-old, paid close attention, for Grandma was speaking. Later, as part of the service, Jack, with my hand in his, took a small child's blanket to the manger as a symbol of giving. We returned to our seats, his eyes shyly cast downward.

‘’At the end of the service we helped set up for the next service. Jack helped carry out the lamb from the manger scene. I took a picture of Jack with Grandma in front of the altar flowers. We said our goodbyes and ‘Merry Christmas!’, bundled up against the cold, and off we went. We pointed out to each other the many homes with strings of colored lights as we returned home.

‘’After some period of silence, I asked, ‘Jack, what did you enjoy most about the Christmas service?’

He thought for a minute. then said honestly but with joy in his voice:

"The ceiling fans!’’

------------------------------------------------

Praise report: Special Christmas blessings to all who served in so many ways this holiday season: the singers, the musicians, the cooks, the gift-givers, the house cleaners, the party organizers, the prayer warriors, the baby cuddlers, the ones who made the less fortunate their priority . . . all of them reflected the Light from Your eyes, Lord Jesus. We thank You for Your Holy Spirit Who will keep that Light shining all year long. (Luke 2:32)