A Christmas Tale

Christmas is Special

During the decade or so that I taught English to high school freshmen, I would adjust my teaching schedule to begin a block on poetry a few weeks before winter vacation. Poetry needs to be heard to be appreciated, thus, I would begin and end each class period by reading a poem aloud. The last day before holiday break, I would read Clement Moore’s epic that begins “Twas the night before Christmas”. This poem defines the American version of Santa Claus. We would then read and discuss some other traditional Christmas literature. I concluded every year with “Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus”.

I consider Francis Church’s editorial response to eight-year-old Virginia the best essay I have ever read. The cartoon and movie version of the story depict Mr. Church as a troubled soul. I find no evidence of this. He was a graduate of Columbia, an experienced war correspondent, and magazine publisher. When he penned his famous essay, he was an editor with the New York Sun. He was in the right place and time, with the prerequisite experience to write the masterpiece that continues to inspire millions during this special time of year. Each Christmas Eve, our family reads the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke and Mr. Church’s reply to Virginia’s letter. In preparation for this year’s family ritual, I located and read my copy. I was struck with how much responsibility those of us who write for the public carry. “Papa says, ‘If you see it in the Sun, it is so’.” With ultimate trust, eight-year-old Virginia turned to the newspaper to seek the truth. I sincerely hope we can continue to earn that level of confidence.

The other thing that struck me was the absence of any reference to religion. Mr. Church was the son of a protestant minister, but there is no reference to Christ. Millions of believers around the globe celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus. I have no intention to diminish the significance of the origin of Christianity, but Christmas is more than that. Christmas is faith, hope, and childlike trust. It is a spirit that lives within us and transcends nationalities, cultures and, at times, even transcends religions.

One of my most cherished Christmas memories happened in 1999 during my year as an “exchange teacher” with Spokane’s sister city in Japan. Although the Japanese are mostly Shinto-Buddhist, their schools take a Christmas break. Not as a birthday party for Christ, but as a time of joy and kindness. Just before Christmas break, I was sent with a host of translators to the city’s school for students too handicapped to function in a normal classroom environment. My instructions were to teach them an English lesson. There were only twelve students, total. Four were in wheel chairs and eight were on liters. I was led to the first student and informed she had limited brain function and could not communicate with her environment. She could neither see, hear, nor speak. One aide who had been carrying her liter said, “She wants you to sing to her.” I didn’t ask how he knew, but when he placed her fingers on my throat, I began to sing a Christmas Carol. Then she smiled at me. Everyone there was simply blown away. She was thought to be incapable of showing emotion. When I was asked how I reached her, I simply said, “It wasn’t me. It was the power of Jesus who brings the joy of Christmas to everyone, even to this handicapped girl.” Christmas is special. During the first Christmas of World War One, an unofficial truce silenced the guns along much of the front-line trenches. Men even spilled out into “no man’s land” to play games and exchange gifts. They put their differences aside until the war resumed the next day. While I was in Viet Nam, it was official policy to stop fighting on Christmas. Yet, this holiday season we have American sons and daughters overseas fighting terrorist ideology, and we continue to fight among ourselves. We shouldn’t be fighting on Christmas. It should be a time of human kindness and love. It should be a time of truce and peace on earth.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over twenty years.