I should really title this post A Really Cool Thing That Happened At Christmas, but it just doesn’t have the same zip. This actually happened to me last year so, I reiterate, clearly not a miracle–or at least not one I felt compelled to proclaim from a snowy roof top. (In my case just a roof top, maybe with a couple of leaves.)
I tore off the burgundy fabric I had around the tree. Its deafening 1990s cries were driving me bonkers; I felt Ricky Martin was going to jump out from behind the tree at any moment and start singing Living La Vida Loca. Besides, we normally place the tree between two very large picture windows and, in the past, the fabric helped give the tree some much needed girth in that large area. Now that we’ve moved it next to the fireplace, there is no need to make it appear bigger. (<—Not the really cool thing that happened on Christmas but, in regards to the fabric, certainly a good thing.)
My mantel is looking better. I found the garland on the mantel at Michael’s for 70% off, so if you are in the market for some plastic greenery at a discounted price, hop in your sled and mush your way over to your nearest strip mall. (<—Also not the really cool thing that happened one Christmas.)
I think removing the fabric and adding the garland highlights the Christmas angel I have on the mantel, which is where I have the Christ candle. (<—256 words later, she reaches the point of this post.) For those who don’t know, the Christ candle is always white, usually in the center of the Advent wreath, and lit on Christmas day. Last year I was on a mission to find the perfect Christ candle. My wreath, unfortunately, wasn’t large enough to house in its center any of the candles I found. So, figuring an all forgiving God wouldn’t mind, I decided I would find a special candle holder (on a $20 budget) and burn the candle on Christmas alongside the wreath.
Seven stores later (you’d be surprised how hard it is to find religious items during Christmas), I found the angel at a Christian bookstore. This angel is not anything I would normally be drawn to, but I thought she was just beautiful. I still do. She’s about 12 inches tall, carved from wood, and weighs a ton. I picked her up, looking for a price. $50. More than double my $20 budget.
I had been to every single store in and around town, so I knew I was going to have to find something at the store I was at or forget the Christ candle. I wasn’t about to do that, so I asked the woman behind the counter if she had anything that would work. She said she had the perfect thing, and for the next few minutes I followed her all around the store.
Nothing. Whatever the perfect thing was, she couldn’t find it.
She decided to look in the back one last time so we walked towards the register, past the angel I admired earlier. Wouldn’t you know it? The $50 angel was what the store employee had been searching for the entire time.
“OH! Here she is! This is what I was talking about. I think she would be perfect for a Christ candle!”
I agreed, but in the spirit of Christmas, I was also honest. “I know, I saw this earlier and it is perfect, but it costs more than I budgeted to pay.” {blushing} I thanked her for her time, and told her I would keep looking.
The shop owner turned the angel over, looked at the price and said, “Well, I can sell it to you for $20. Is that closer to what your budget allows? I think she is perfect for you.”
I said, yes, I think that would fit my budget nicely.
And that is the story of my Christmas angel. Certainly not a miracle, but definitely a really cool thing to happen at Christmas. I wish for you and your families the same; that your holidays, no matter what or how you celebrate, be filled with the peace, love, and, if not miracles, more than a few really cool things.
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