He's Coming to Town

The tree is up!  Ornaments hang from the boughs and a golden garland envelops the Frazier fur branches.  The scent of Christmas wafts through the air every time someone brushes up against the tree.  The only thing missing is the angel that sits above, watching the children below.  Soon enough, it will be placed on top, the gentle reminder of the very first Christmas over two thousand years ago.

Of course with my crew, I would be worried if something didn't happen.  Alas, we have had the playroom locked since last night as that is where I can wrap the presents, and have been doing so when I have the time.  I told the children not to go in there, and my darling pixie of a precocious sprite decided to jump ship on those orders.  She climbed on top of the dresser in the hallway and stretched out her body as far as it would go in order to unlock the chain on the door.  She hadn't done that in quite some time, so I thought we were safe.  Didn't I say that just yesterday?

So I was cleaning downstairs and went up because I heard nothing.  Now, mothers out there would understand what I mean by that.  It wasn't noisy; children weren't jumping on beds or hollering away.  It was still.  It was quiet.  It was too silent.  As I ascended the steps, I continued to hear nothing.  But when I got to the alcove, I saw through my peripheral view an unexpected light coming from the left.  It was only the kind of light that comes from the blessed sun.  The playroom is between the hallway and the aforementioned bringer of warmth and life.

The door was wide open and two children were playing in there.  Nyssa tried instantly to duck under the extra bed while Benjamin sat there contentedly playing with his Mr. Potato Head.  Excuse me; what I meant to say was that he was playing with the Mr. Potato Head that he had not yet been given, that had been in a shoebox ready to be wrapped.  It wasn't until I mentioned his name and he realized Nyssa was out of sight that he considered the fact that maybe he wasn't supposed to be in there.  He tried to scurry past me in his sudden thought of being caught.  I had mercy on him and let him go with a reminder to stay out of there until tomorrow.

Gabriela started fussing, so I turned to check on her.  She was ready for her nap, so I tended to her and lay her back in the crib.  When I returned to the scene of the crime, Nyssa was nowhere in sight, not even under the bed.  When I called to her in my most authoritative voice, I heard her scrambling through the hallway to the stairs.  To her credit, she was running to me, and not away from me.  She had already sneaked to the bottom of the stairs and to the family room while I was taking care of her sister.

When I asked Nyssa what she was thinking as she unlocked the forbidden room, I was taking her answer into consideration for her punishment.  What was her reply?  "I was thinking that maybe you couldn't see me," came the straightforward response.  Now.  Here she was, caught in the act, coming back to me of her own free will when I called her, and being completely honest with me.  The problem is that she knew what she was doing was wrong when she opened it, because her only thought was that she was hoping we wouldn't see her unlock the door!

She did receive her just desserts and was further informed that her actions allowed her brother to get to one of his Christmas presents.  It was one less surprise Benjamin would receive.  This did penetrate her heart and her eyes grew sad as she realized the implications of her disobedience.  She apologized both to me and Benjamin for leading him in the same path and was sent to her room for a while.

All in all, it was a learning experience for both of us.  Don't go into places that are locked and are forbidden.  Don't put Christmas presents in the play room, even if it has been locked.  Fortunately, Benjamin is contentedly playing with something else right now and will hopefully still be happy to receive the Potato Heads.  At least he didn't see the Missus.

Even now we find ourselves going out of our way to go places that we shouldn't, to unlock forbidden rooms, to play with forbidden toys.  When we realize we are in that situation, we have another choice, to stay and admit what we have done, or try to hide.  When we discover we have been found, we have yet another decision:  to try to talk our way out of the situation or to confess in full our reasoning and our actions and to apologize for those we have wronged.

Christmas is a time for love and peace.  It is a time to set aside selfishness and to embrace the spirit of giving and hope.  It is a magical moment in time that comes only once a year.  It is a season that we hold dear in our hearts.  It is one of the hardest times when loved ones have been lost, and one of the most joyful when they are found.  It can be filled with memories of delight and wonder, in spite of what we may have managed to get ourselves into only the day before.

After all, just think about it.  He knows when we've been sleeping.  He knows when we're awake.  He knows when we've been bad or good, so let's be good, for goodness' sake.  Let the glad tidings of Christmas shine down on you as brightly as the lights shine from the tree.  Merry Christmas!