It is Christmas Eve, and the holiday season is in full force. We have tried our best to make it a Christ centered Christmas and to avoid the lure of a gift filled consumer Christmas. The other day we set up our Christmas tree. It is made entirely of gold tinsel and the only adornment is a connected string of white lights. During the day it looks a little kitschy, but at night it glows, and truly gives the impression of what it is meant to symbolize. A tree that is ever alive and glowing with the light of Christ. This year we decided to add one more piece to it, a star. We found one we thought would work. I explained to Hawkes the significance of the star. That Heavenly Father put it in the sky on the night Jesus was born so that everyone would know something special had just happened, and that we put it on our tree so that when we see it we will remember Jesus. Then I got out a stool, and lifted Hawkes (in his standard underwear only outfit) up to put the star on top of the tree.
You always hope that the lessons you teach your kids at a young age have some lasting impact on them. Although it's probably too early to tell, there have been a couple of moments since putting the star on our tree that give me hope that the meaning of Christmas connected with Hawkes.
A few days after putting the star on the tree, Hawkes came with me to do home teaching. On the way there I asked him if he could help give the lesson and tell the family we were teaching about what the star on the top of our Christmas trees was for. He agreed, but had his usual nervous smile, and I could see in his eyes that the wheels in his head were turning. When it was time to give his part of the lesson he stood up and then got too nervous and turned to me. I told him he could give the lesson by just looking at me, but that he needed to speak loud so that the family could hear. He started, "when Jesus was born..." and then he got stuck. He hadn't made it very far, but he grabbed me around the neck and pulled me close and in his awkward super loud whisper right into my ear asked "who was that guy who put the star in the sky for Jesus?". I told him it was Heavenly Father. He nodded, smiled, and stood back up to continue his lesson. He had remembered.
About a week after that Hawkes looked at me and out of the blue said, "Dad, I'm thinking about the star on our tree and remembering Jesus." He is such a sweet boy, and I hope he always remembers and can always help remind me what Christmas is really about.
Lp
A few days after putting the star on the tree, Hawkes came with me to do home teaching. On the way there I asked him if he could help give the lesson and tell the family we were teaching about what the star on the top of our Christmas trees was for. He agreed, but had his usual nervous smile, and I could see in his eyes that the wheels in his head were turning. When it was time to give his part of the lesson he stood up and then got too nervous and turned to me. I told him he could give the lesson by just looking at me, but that he needed to speak loud so that the family could hear. He started, "when Jesus was born..." and then he got stuck. He hadn't made it very far, but he grabbed me around the neck and pulled me close and in his awkward super loud whisper right into my ear asked "who was that guy who put the star in the sky for Jesus?". I told him it was Heavenly Father. He nodded, smiled, and stood back up to continue his lesson. He had remembered.
About a week after that Hawkes looked at me and out of the blue said, "Dad, I'm thinking about the star on our tree and remembering Jesus." He is such a sweet boy, and I hope he always remembers and can always help remind me what Christmas is really about.
Lp
