The music of
children’s laughter and excited voices broke the silence in the
room. Jacob and his sister, Emily, had just finished wrapping some
presents for their family. Scattered around the floor lay a vision
of brightly colored paper, tissue, miles of metallic ribbon, and
bags of brilliant bows. All the two could think about and talk about
were the presents under the tree...
Jacob picked up a gift and a tiny silver bell tinkled as he said,
“Ha, ha, another one for me!”
Emily crawled through the bows and reached far under the tree,
exclaiming with joy, “And here’s
another one for me! And on Christmas morning, there will be...”
“...lots more gifts from Santa Claus for you and me,” chimed Jacob,
grinning from ear to ear.
“Now wait a minute, you two,” a gentle voice remarked softly.
Emily and Jacob looked around the room, then gazed at each other,
bewildered. Who had spoken to them because there was no one else in
the room? Emily edged closer to her brother by the Christmas tree.
The same voice whispered behind them, “It’s me.” The tree’s branches
moved slightly.
A talking tree? Impossible! No, that only happened in stories. Jacob
and Emily giggled nervously.
“But I am speaking to you, Jacob and Emily,” the soft voice
commented quietly. “Christmas is so much more than presents and
Santa Claus.”
The two siblings turned around and huddled together as they glanced
up at the beautiful fir tree decorated in silver, gold, and blue
bells, white angels, red hearts, and strands of sparkling star
lights.
The voice continued, “Christmas is about the joy of giving to
others, bringing smiles to the faces of loved ones and friends, and
warmth to the heart. Santa is God’s spirit of generosity and good
will during the season when giving is so much better than receiving.
And there is so much more.”
Before the children’s eyes, a vision appeared; the three Wise Men
from the Nativity scene on the mantle graced the living room. Jacob
and Emily could merely stare in awe and wonder.
“Long ago, it was written that we came to honor the birth of a
humble babe in Bethlehem by bringing him special gifts; this is more
than just a story. God sent His Son, a King, to bring us love and
salvation. Would you like to see him?”
Emily and Jacob, speechless, merely nodded their heads and took the
hands offered. In a flash, they stood before the holy family, gazing
in wide-eyed wonder at the tiny baby in the manger. Something
special touched their hearts at that moment.
Emily noticed that she had brought a golden bow with her so she laid
it gently next to the babe, while Jacob placed the tiny silver bell
he held in his palm beside the bow. Brother and sister glanced at
each other and smiled, and before they could blink their eyes, they
were back in their living room.
“So tell me, my children, what did you see?” the tree asked.
Jacob responded, “First, a bright star.”
“Like the one you placed on my tree top?” Both children nodded.
“This star reminds us of God’s promise so long ago to send a Savior
to His children. A promise fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.”
Then Emily spoke, “We saw the baby Jesus in his manger, and Mary
smiled at us.”
“What did you feel at that moment?”
Both young voices said in unison, “Very special.”
“And you are special as all God’s children are special,” the voice
remarked lovingly.
“I think I saw an angel, too,” Emily whispered.
Jacob and his sister moved closer to the tree, and Emily touched one
of the boughs. “Why are you still green when other trees have lost
their leaves and why do your needles reach upwards?”
“So many questions,” laughed the tree’s voice, “but that is good,
little one. I’m an evergreen that is green all year round and my
needles do reach towards heaven. The Christmas green symbolizes
God’s everlasting hope. With God in your life, there is always hope
for a better tomorrow.”
Caught up in the magic of the moment, Jacob commented, “You are so
smart. What else do you know?” Then he grinned because he knew
instinctively that there was more to come.
“I can tell you about the other Christmas colors. Look at the other
decorations on me. Blue is for the sky that sent the angel to tell of
the Savior's birth, and white represents the angel, the purity of
the Virgin birth and the Lamb of God.”
Jacob and Emily stared at the tree, confusion covering their small
faces.
“You will understand it all when you’re older but white means that
Jesus was born very special and would never be bad in any way. He
could not commit sin like people do today.” Heads nodded in
understanding. Brother and sister knew that they weren’t always
‘good’.
“What about gold and silver? I like the way they sparkle on you,”
giggled Emily.
“Oh, they’re important, too. They symbolize all the richness of
God’s blessings and the things that He can do for each one of us, if
we let Him into our lives,” the soft voice responded. “And do you
see the red of the hearts and the red berries in the holly leaves
decorating your house? Red stands for the blood of Christ when He
died for our sins.”
“That’s sad,” said Emily, tears glistening on her eyelashes.
“Dear one, there’s also happiness because Jesus still lives today
and waits for us in heaven. One day you can live forever with Him
but you must follow His path.”
A silent moment caressed the room. Peace filled their hearts.
Finally, the soft voice spoke again. “Look around your house and
tell me what else might be important about your Christmas. Things
you have every year.”
“Daddy likes to kiss mommy under the mistletoe, and we give mommy a
pointsetter. Oh, its flowers look like a star, too, and its usually
red! Wow!” cried Emily with passion and new comprehension.
“Yes, poinsettia’s could be a natural reminder of the Star of
Bethlehem and some people believe that the mistletoe symbolizes the
healing power of Christ, but I don’t know if kissing under it is
supposed to be special or make that person special. Interesting
myth.”
“Yuk,” said Jacob. “Not me. Don’t like kissing, but I like candles ~
lots of candles. We burn the Advent candles before Christmas and say
prayers for people. It feels good. Mom says that our candles are
important because they tell everyone that Christ is the light of our
world.”
“Good for you, Jacob. Does your mom also hang a wreath on your front
door?” the voice asked. Two heads nodded. “The pine wreath shows us
the real nature of love because the love of God never stops but is
continuous like the circle the wreath forms. Hanging it on your door
tells people that your house is blessed with love.”
“What about this?” asked Emily as she held up her favorite treat.
Jacob took one, too.
“That’s yummy candy,” commented the tree.
“We know, but does it mean anything for Christmas?” two voices
echoed and giggled.
The tree-voice asked quietly, “What do you think? What does it look
like to you?”
Jacob held it up and said, “It looks like the thing shepherds have
for their sheep.”
“Or ‘J’ for Jesus,” whispered Emily as she turned it upside down.
“It could be the shepherd’s crook or staff and just like the
shepherd took care of his sheep, we can take care of each other, and
it could also be a symbol for Jesus. Both are good.”
“Mr. Tree,” murmured Emily, “why do we call it Christmas? Some
people just call it a holiday and it doesn’t seem to mean much to
them. That’s real sad.”
“You’re right, Emily. It is more than sad that all God’s children
don’t believe in Him or His son,” the voice commented quietly. “The
word ‘Christmas’ is made up of Christ, which means ‘Messiah’ or
Savior and Mass, which is a religious celebration. So Christmas
should really be a spiritual time celebrating our Savior. Christmas
is a time of fellowship and sharing with family and friends.
However, Jesus is the best part of all because He brings God’s love
and eternal life for us.”
Silence filled the living room once more as the two children sat
mesmerized, gazing in wonder at their beautiful tree and thinking
about all the things they had heard. They would share it all with
their friends and family. It was so quiet in the room that their
mother decided to check up on them.
“I heard a strange voice. Who were you two talking to?”
Suddenly, Emily smiled at her brother knowingly and whispered,
“Jesus.”
The twinkling star on the top of the Christmas tree shimmered bright
and lit up the room with a warmth and abounding love like the Star
of Bethlehem on that glorious night so long ago.
Emily crawled through the bows and reached far under the tree,
exclaiming with joy, “And here’s 
“We saw the baby Jesus in his manger, and Mary
smiled at us.”
Jacob held it up and said, “It looks like the thing shepherds have
for their sheep.”
