In western Pennsylvania, frigid December afternoons pass\u00a0 quietly\u00a0 and it will soon be Christmas.<\/p>\n
The Christmas song plays in the kitchen this morning.\u00a0 The music picks up speed as layers of instruments repeat the theme.<\/p>\n
The piano pounds out the familiar melody and the mandolin plucks\u00a0 an unrelenting \u00a0 Latin rhythm mingled\u00a0 with a classy \u00a0jazz trumpet and a metal stringed violin.<\/p>\n
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Christmas celebrations\u00a0 linger in snippets and fragments; layered\u00a0\u00a0and overlapped \u00a0like \u00a0Christmas melodies that\u00a0 play one by one, over and under each other.<\/p>\n
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Childhood comes to visit me\u00a0 as the carols continue to play. \u00a0 I\u00a0was about ten years old, \u00a0a little girl who like to wear blue jeans and flannel shirts. A little girl who liked to play tag and make hide-outs in the woods around our neighborhood, splash in rain puddles, run barefoot and share secrets and laughter with my friends.<\/p>\n
Like my three younger siblings,\u00a0 Patti, David and Tommy, our \u00a0anticipation \u00a0of Santa Claus\u00a0 reached a zenith. Christmas was finally here.\u00a0 I worried that I had not been \u201cgood enough\u201d for Santa but everything must have been good\u00a0 because I did have a stocking full of little treasures\u00a0\u00a0that morning. \u00a0 \u00a0What joy!<\/p>\n
One by one we unwrapped our gifts.\u00a0I noticed I had one additional\u00a0 gift.\u00a0 An extra gift\u00a0 seemed strange because in our home gifts were something extraordinary. A steelworker\u2019s family\u00a0 seldom had more than a couple of small gifts. Each one was a treasure to us.. We giggled and squirmed amid the discarded \u00a0wrapping papers.\u00a0 We tore into the gifts. \u00a0OH, Christmas morning is\u00a0the most memorable time of a little child\u2019s life!<\/p>\n
At\u00a0last, \u00a0I reached back into the stocking and removed the last gift \u2013 the extra one. \u00a0Slowly, I peeled back the layers of paper \u2013\u00a0 but my smile disappeared.\u00a0 My gift was a heavy and solid weight in my small hands. It was a shiny lump of black Pennsylvania coal.<\/p>\n
I never knew who and I never knew why. But I knew\u00a0 that coal came from Santa\u00a0 when a child was very bad that year.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cI Believe in Angels\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Folks often say Christmas is for children,<\/p>\n skating on ice, building\u00a0\u00a0castles of snow.<\/p>\n Oh, I believe Christmas is a holy birthday!<\/p>\n a time to sit by a warm fire, sing holiday songs.<\/p>\n I believe in shepherds! \u00a0and angels!<\/p>\n and Three Kings who delivered priceless gifts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s a joy to be with friends, to give\u00a0\u00a0gifts.<\/p>\n Adults once again become like children,<\/p>\n who look out\u00a0\u00a0the window to see the first\u00a0snow.<\/p>\n The Ancients anticipated this birthday<\/p>\n celebration that \u00a0began with heavenly songs<\/p>\n when the birth of Messiah was announced by angels.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The holy birth was shared with shepherds and angels,<\/p>\n long before mass marketing, tinsel, and glitzy gifts,<\/p>\n The promised Child would heal earth\u2019s children.<\/p>\n Perhaps the plains were deep with snow<\/p>\n on the night of His miraculous birth.<\/p>\n Yes, I believe in angel songs!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the darkest winter night, listen for the songs<\/p>\n sung by a choir of angels.<\/p>\n The greatest heavenly gift<\/p>\n came\u00a0\u00a0to walk with earth\u2019s children.<\/p>\n As I light the Advent wreath I look out at falling snow-<\/p>\n and remember the reason behind this ancient birthday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On bleak December days, consider His birthday.<\/p>\n Listen in the quiet night for angel songs.<\/p>\n The birth of Messiah, announced by the angels,<\/p>\n is the reason for exchanging gifts.<\/p>\n I believe Christ\u2019s birthday is truly for children<\/p>\n like me and you who walk in a world of wintry snow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Every child knows the delight of playing in snow<\/p>\n the joy of receiving gifts in celebration of a birthday-<\/p>\n I believe in birthday songs!<\/p>\n I\u2019m a\u00a0\u00a0child once again as I listen for angels<\/p>\n songs and remember the wise men who brought gifts.<\/p>\n the Anointed Gift from God \u2013 I believe in children!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n by Lynda McKinney Lambert. \u00a0Copyright 2014.\u00a0 Revised 2017. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n Author of Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage,<\/em>Available on Amazon.com<\/p>\n Author of Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems<\/em> (go to Author\u2019s Page to order this book)<\/p>\n Website & Blog: : www.lyndalambert.com<\/a><\/p>\n Author\u2019s Page: http:\/\/www.dldbooks.com\/lyndalambert\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n