Moral of the Story

Cindy Trane Christeson

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” -- W.T.

Ellis

It’s that time of year when people are decking the halls, descending on

malls, and decorating walls. But instead of being merry and bright, many

people I’ve seen lately are impatient and unusually stressed and

depressed.

I saw the most unusual example of this at Fashion Island recently. I was

heading back to my car and noticed a woman in the car next to me putting

her child in the car seat. Her stroller was buried under several shopping

bags and packages and was right next to my car door.

I wasn’t in a hurry, so I didn’t mind waiting while the woman loaded her

son and everything else. After she strapped her child in, she started

throwing in the bags and boxes as quickly as she could, as if she was in

a race. Then she became aware of me standing nearby, looked up and with a

rather frantic look on her face, she said, “Oh, I’m so sorry, is this

your car?”

That question wouldn’t have been unusual if she had pointed to my car as

she asked it, but she pointed to her car, and then ran back to double

check the license plate. I told her to take her time and that my car was

actually the one next to hers.

“Oh, I’m so glad,” she said with a sigh. “I think I’m losing my mind.”

With that she folded up the stroller, threw it in the trunk and backed up

at twice the normal speed. I waited until she was long gone before

moving. I wondered if it would occur to her later that her keys probably

wouldn’t have opened another car and that chances were even slimmer that

another car would have the same car seat in the same place.

The scene I witnessed was both funny and sad at the same time. It was

funny because when I get rushed and overwhelmed, I am capable of doing

crazy things as well. It was sad because I don’t like to think that the

true message of Christmas is being lost to frantic and frenzied business.

I was encouraged, however, after a fun lunch a few days later with a

friend of mine named Molly. Molly and her husband, Eric, have four young

children and I loved hearing their excitement about Christmas. They spent

the weekend after Thanksgiving decorating their house, playing Christmas

carols, reading Christmas books and talking about the reason for the

season.

Molly told me of a conversation with her 9-year-old son, Drew, that

showed that the message has clearly come through.

“Oh Mom, I don’t understand it,” he said. “How can people see the houses

all lit up and all the Christmas decorations, and not be excited?

Shouldn’t everybody just be bursting with joy about celebrating Jesus’

birthday?”

“I told Drew that I felt the same way,” Molly said. “I told him that we

can show people the true meaning of Christmas by showing them our joy

over Christ’s birth.”

Molly and Drew are right. This year as we prepare our homes for

Christmas, let’s prepare our hearts as well. And you can quote me on

that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She can be reached via e-mail at o7

cindy@onthegrow.comf7 or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach 92658.