The Friday Chrismas Tree

“Mommy,” six-year-old Brian cried, as he pulled on his pajamas, “the other kids said we’re going to have a Christmas tree for the house! What’s a Christmas tree?”Snug in their small bedroom at this Christian shelter for women and children, Jenny Henderson held him and four-year-old Daniel close. “It’s a beautiful tree that helps people be glad for Jesus,” she said. “People decorate them at Christmas time. They buy each other presents and put them under the trees.”Daniel wrinkled his nose. “What’s ‘decorate’ mean? What’s Christmas?”Their mother sighed. All the years she had lived with the boys’ father, he refused to let them celebrate anything, no matter how much she pleaded. No birthdays. No holidays. And certainly no Christmas.So the boys had never blown out birthday candles, watched TV, decorated a Christmas tree, hung up stockings, eaten a big Christmas dinner or opened any gifts.When the Henderson home became so sad with all the arguing, controlling and bossing, Jenny and the boys moved to the shelter home. Now they were free to celebrate everything, including Christmas, with the other mothers and children there.Jenny gave Daniel a hug. “I’ll tuck you both under the covers and tell you a wonderful story about Jesus and Christmas.”She recounted the detailed story of the first Christmas night, then told them about decorating a Christmas tree, giving Christmas presents to each other, and telling God thank you for baby Jesus.“Wow!” Brian cried. “I want to love baby Jesus, too. And I want to decorate a Christmas tree, too!”“Me, too!” Daniel echoed. “Please, Mommy, please!”Jenny laughed. “Mrs. Naples, the house manager, says we’re going to have a big Christmas tree decorating party this Saturday. All the kids who live here will be able to help, including you two.”Brian and Daniel were so excited, they could hardly get to sleep. And the very first thing Daniel asked when he woke up the next morning was, “Is it Saturday yet? Can we decorate the tree yet?”Finally, that Friday, they heard a great shout. “The tree’s here!” All the children scrambled down the stairs. There at the front door were three men carrying the biggest, most beautiful, fragrant evergreen, so big it almost stuck in the doorway. The men set it up on a stand, and everyone gathered around. It almost reached the ceiling!“Can we decorate it right now?” Daniel asked.Mrs. Naples laughed. “No, remember it’s still Friday, Daniel. We’ll have our decorating party tomorrow.”Just then she got a phone call in the office. It was the boys’ father. Since Mr. Henderson had never hurt the boys, he was allowed to come to the shelter and take them out on visits. He was coming the next day to take them out for a while—right at decorating time.The boys loved their father, of course. But they did so want to decorate their very first Christmas tree. “Please, Mrs. Naples,” Brian begged, “could we put just one pretty thing on the tree tonight? Just one small decoration?”The house manager looked at the beautiful tree. She looked at the two boys and she looked at the other children. “Well, what do you think, children?” she asked. “Would that be fair? Let’s take a vote.”“Yes!” they all shouted.A short time later, all the children helped carry not just one little decoration, but whole boxes of them into the living room. They set them around the waiting tree.“All right, boys,” Mrs. Naples said to Brian and Daniel. “You have an hour. During that time you may decorate to your hearts’ content. We won’t plug anything in, but you take out anything in any of the boxes. Tomorrow while you’re gone we’ll take the decorations off so the other children can have their chance putting them on. But tonight is your night.”Then she shooed the other children away and left the two boys alone.Brian and Daniel had never been so happy in their entire lives. They picked up each shiny ball, each shimmering garland, each handful of icicles, as carefully as if they had been made of diamonds, then placed them lovingly on the tree.A little later, Mrs. Naples stopped by to see how they were doing. All around the bottom branches—as high as little boys’ arms could reach—glittered joyful ornaments of blue, red, green, gold and silver, plus loop upon loop of garlands, and handfuls upon handfuls of icicles.But instead of standing there admiring their work, the two boys were on their knees with their eyes closed tightly, praying.“Thank you, dear Jesus,” Brian began, “for getting bornded at Christmas time. And thank you for letting us decorate your Christmas tree. That’s the bestest Christmas present I could ever get.”“Oh, and, Jesus,” his little brother added, “when Daddy comes here tomorrow and sees our beautiful tree, please let him like it and not be mad. And help him want to love you, too.”Brian thought a moment. “You’re right,” he agreed. “That would be the bestest Christmas present of all.”