A CHRISTMAS STORY

'TWAS THE NIGHT ...

‘Twas the night before The Night before Christmas …and it was the night when they would put their tree up. It was going to be the biggest and brightest in all the land.

‘There, all done,’ their father declared as he stood admiring his handiwork. He packed away his tools and smiled proudly, looking at his three children. ‘Nothing will ever be able to move it from there now.’

Maria was glad for that – she didn’t want it to come toppling over their heads. It was her father’s job to make sure the tree was well secured and that no movement or daring little hands would interfere with its safety. It was so incredibly big, it nearly touched the ceiling and she hoped there would be enough decorations to fill its many branches. It was getting rather late and they were both very tired and trying very hard to stay awake, otherwise their parents would have to put the decorations up by themselves.

‘It’s beautiful Dad,’ his eldest daughter said, feeling pleased and, holding back a yawn, mumbled, ‘…I’ve never seen such a big tree in all my life.’

‘Me too,’ Maria’s younger sister agreed, sitting next to her. She hugged her favourite teddy-bear and yawned. They just couldn’t wait to start decorating their tree. Their baby brother slept soundly in his cot nearby. Maybe next year he would be helping, too.

It was one of the coldest nights but they felt very warm and cozy in their dressing gowns and nighties. Besides, the room certainly had a glow all of its own in an impatient atmosphere of anticipation and excitement.

At that moment their mother came into the room carrying a mountain of boxes which she carefully put down on an armchair next to the tree. Maria and her sister went over to where their mother was standing as she opened the topmost box. Lifting the lid, she revealed its contents to their surprise and delight. They stood there quite enchanted as if they had been transported to a cave of glittering treasure. A year had passed since the last time they had set eyes on the sparkling glass decorations as their shimmering colours beamed back at them.

Maria had very faint memories of Christmases past but she knew that Christmas that year was going to be very special. Somehow, the ornaments seemed to be sharing a secret with her. They showed their distorted reflections, very similar to the ones they’d seen in the hall of mirrors when the traveling fair had visited their town. Whenever they moved, the shapes inside them changed. The lights in the room made them glisten and shine. There were purple baubles with gold glitter and blue and red ones with silver sparkles.

Maria was so charmed by their pleasant appearance that as she looked at them, she felt captivated by their magical appeal. She just couldn’t take her eyes off them. The more she looked at them the more she felt drawn towards their fascinating beauty. Something mysteriously guided her tiny hands towards the glistening, colourful rounded shapes that were reflecting the light in a golden glow. The different colours and movements in the room joined in a collective display of moving shapes and reflections. Everything around her seemed to be blending and merging towards the box. It felt as if she was being pulled by some unknown force towards it as she stretched out her hands to touch the delicate objects.

Suddenly Maria felt very weird. She shuddered, knowing that something was about to happen. With a startling tug she felt herself being drawn right into the box. Feeling slightly dazed, it did not take her long to realize she was no longer in their living room.

As her eyes got used to the strange mixture of defused orangey and silvery white light, she realized she was surrounded by trees. There were so many of them in different shapes and sizes, from small, medium, large, very large and such enormous ones that their tops reached so high she couldn’t even see them. Their branches reached out and pointed like outstretched fingers to all directions. This forest was so dense that the only light that found its way through its uppermost branches was in the form of a multitude of very fine and faint rays highlighting the ground which was covered with a thick layer of a soft white substance that reflected the eerie light. Delicate luminous particles danced around in these steady beams which stretched right down creating a mirrored illusion of radiance and warmth. The absence of any sound was quite striking and very audible: there was no sound of wind rustling the leaves or whistling through the branches. The silence echoed itself.

‘Where am I?’ Maria asked, voicing her thoughts but not expecting anyone to answer her question. In fact no one did and she looked around her bewildered. What had happened?

‘I must be dreaming,’ she thought to herself, ‘I’ll wake up soon and find myself in my cozy, warm bed and…and…’ She was on the verge of tears. This couldn’t be real, it couldn’t be happening. But before she could say another word or do anything, she heard the jingling of bells and a swift swishing sound. She felt relief and fear both at the same time. Suddenly from between two ancient trees, the most amazingly beautiful sleigh came into full view carrying two figures, both dressed in white hooded robes.

‘Sorry we are a little late,’ the white-bearded elderly gentleman apologized in a deep, gentle voice, as the sleigh came to a standstill. ‘I hope you have not been waiting long.’ He stood up and holding onto the sides of the sleigh with one hand and with the other pulling up his long white coat, he climbed over awkwardly but hastily and steadied himself on the deep powdery-white ground. He stood for a while looking quite lost in thought as he studied Maria through smiling eyes.

Then, turning to face the sleigh again, he offered a hand to the other person, if you could call her that, as she came down beside him. She moved gracefully in her white fur-trimmed hooded coat and she appeared to be moving about in an aura that had a radiance all of its own. She pulled down the hood as her long silvery-white hair fell down in curls around her face; her tall figure in shimmering white was highlighted by the strange light. Maria thought she seemed surprisingly familiar.

As they both took a step forward, Maria stumbled backwards and fell down onto the soft snowy-white ground. Her hands touched the powdery stuff which felt icy-cold and she immediately realized what it was. She had never seen it before or experienced how it felt having never been away from the warm climate of her native country. She was surprised by its very soft and gentle feel. She was thankful though that she was wearing her warm dressing gown over her nightdress or she would have been frozen stiff. With this thought in mind and despite the wintry surroundings, she realized that she was not feeling cold at all.

Still sitting with her hands in the snow, Maria looked up as the old white-bearded man spoke to her, ‘Come, child, do not be afraid’.

The beautiful female figure put her hands out to her as she smiled. It was a smile that made her feel safe and happy. Any fears or doubts Maria might have had vanished as the white robed slender person picked the child up and carried her in her arms.

The elderly gentleman continued, ’you have been chosen for a very special mission, Maria. You have seen the Light and will learn to appreciate it in the years to come and share it with others.’

Maria certainly did not know what he meant and the expression on her face must have shown her thoughts very clearly.

‘You might not fully understand the meaning of what is happening but you will very soon,’ he tried to explain as she looked at him from his friend’s arms. ‘Right,’ he said, ‘let’s go.’

Before Maria knew what was happening, the lovely angel-like figure carried her, followed closely by the old man, until they came to a stop as she said, ‘This here is the most ancient tree in the forest.’ It certainly looked very, old. ‘And it is very, very special,’ she continued. It seemed like something out of Maria’s favourite fairy tale book. Its trunk was wide and knotted and some of its roots had found their way right up through the ground. Maria could even see some of them peeping through the snow.

‘Come, Maria,” she said gently and she put Maria down again. She took off her white overcoat and as she did so, a shower of shining dust spread all around her. Maria who could not believe what she was actually witnessing: a pair of feathery wings had unfolded smoothly behind the beautiful creature as she suddenly rose above the ground in a quiet flutter. Some of the glittering dust sprinkled over Maria and as she felt a sense of lightness come over her, she knew that she too was slowly rising. Her little feet pedaled thin air above the ground. She looked up to the beautiful being and realized who she was and where she had seen her but knew she had never spoken to her. Before this moment it had not been possible. Now she knew it was and that she had to say something.

“Please tell me what’s happening,” she found enough courage to ask her. She heard a slight flutter behind her back as she rose higher and looking over her shoulder was amazed to see the tip of one of her own feathered wings. “Am I an angel, too?’ she asked quite stunned.

They hovered above the old man as he looked up at them. It seemed he knew exactly what was happening as he beamed at them. ‘You are doing very well, young one,’ he said in a very pleased tone of voice. But that did not answer Maria’s last question.

‘Well, no, not exactly, only sort of,’ the lovely winged creature said slowly in an attempt to explain but Maria was still puzzled by all that was happening.

The white angel took Maria’s hand and they flew higher around the ancient tree. As they did so, another shower of glittering dust sprinkled all around them. Higher and higher they flew circling the tree. They flew further up and around the topmost branches leaving a trail of sparkles and glitter behind them. Finally they came to a stop and as they still held hands, Maria looked down and saw she could barely distinguish the old man in his white coat against the brightness of the snowy ground. But there was something else she could see, something that had not been there before… all around the tree they had just encircled were spheres hanging from the branches just like the Christmas baubles in their box at home, the one which she had come through into this strange world.

‘These are all yours for the taking, they are yours to share with others,’ Maria heard her winged friend’s voice. ‘Of course, it all depends on how much you can carry but I’ll help you. Are you ready to start choosing?’ she asked.

Maria did not need to ask any more questions; she felt an inner sense of peace and tranquility. The harmony of everything around her was enough answer and she just smiled. She somehow knew the solution to all this lay within her. This time she led the way and as she and the white angel flew downwards, she chose and picked from the hundreds of luminous spheres, some red and some blue, some gold and some silver, all glittering and sparkling. The first ones she chose she gave to the white angel to hold for her, after which she filled her own arms. As they landed with their arms full, they found the old white-bearded man waiting for them in the splendid sleigh onto which they unloaded the beautiful sphere shapes. No sooner were they all safely inside, Maria felt the sleigh move slightly. As it gently displaced the snow beneath them they were headed upwards with a jingling and swishing sound, steadily and swiftly, past the branches of the dense forest and right up into the clouds. The fresh night air felt sharp against her nostrils. Suddenly it was all quiet again. Maria felt very tired and sleepy and her eyes were getting heavier and heavier. She held onto the sides but her head kept nodding – she could hardly keep herself upright and awake any longer. With a sudden jolt she fell over the side of the sleigh, down, down, right through the clouds, down, down into…

Maria opened her eyes. She was in her father’s arms and her head was resting on his shoulder. She saw her sister quite in the same position as herself in her mother’s arms. It seemed they were being carried to bed. Maria’s eyes were very heavy and they closed as she felt herself drifting slowly to sleep. But she opened them once more and looked straight ahead over her father’s shoulders towards their Christmas tree. There it stood delightfully decorated with the brilliantly coloured baubles. And there she was, right at the very top; she knew she had seen her before: the beautiful white winged creature, their tree-top Christmas angel. At the bottom of the tree as if guarding it, stood Santa Claus in his white beard and smart red coat. ‘Well, he can’t always be wearing the same coat…’ and that was Maria’s last thought that night before she fell soundly to sleep.

What she did not see was a white richly decorated miniature sleigh next to Father Christmas. But she would definitely see it the next morning and remember…had it been a dream after all….?

'Twas the night before Christmas and Maria sat comfortably in her favourite armchair and looked up towards the tree-top. A beautiful fairy-like angel in a satin white dress looked down. The tree was brilliantly adorned with shiny decorations and at the bottom stood Santa Claus next to his sleigh. Maria smiled as she remembered…her friends and the effect she had had on them, her teaching years and the children she had taught, recollected some of the happy and sad times in her life and how she had influenced others: the youth who had found the courage and will to succeed, the old woman who always loved the little chat whenever they bumped into each other, the special needs child who always had a twinkle in his eyes whenever he met her, her family, her husband, her children, her grandchildren…

‘Grandma, grandma,’ children of different age groups came bustling into the living room and sat down on the carpet at her feet, ‘please tell us our favourite story,’ they begged as they waited in anticipation.

Looking down at them, she took a special box from the side table, opened it and brought out a golden sphere. As they looked at it and saw its reflecting and dazzling power, she realized that once more she would exercise her power to continue the mission she had been called for. She knew that one day they too would have the chance to do what she did. For she was helping them see the light.

They settled down as Maria recounted, ‘‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas…and it was going to be the biggest and brightest tree in all the land…’