Livin' Our Love Song: Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we went to Drew and Lori's for dinner and our family gift exchange. We had soup in bread bowls for dinner... which was super yummy. A tradition in our family is to have all the kids act out the Nativity, while one of the adult boys narrates. Paisley was a Shepherd, well, was supposed to be a Shepherd. She didn't stand still, of course, since she's only 14 months, but it was worth a try. Her costume didn't really look like a Shepherd either. Better luck next year.

However, the Nativity is such a special addition to the evening because it allows all of us to stop and think about the TRUE meaning of Christmas. This year I found and read this book called Christmas, do you hear what I hear by Paul H. Dunn. He talked about not getting caught up in the busyness of the season, and slowing down to actually focus on the true spirit of giving. He told a story about a boy named Jim.
Jim's father lost his job. They were very poor. Jim had a younger brother named Jerry. When Christmas approached, Jerry was the only member of the family who had any money. He mowed lawns during the summer and kept all his earnings in a piggy bank on his dresser.
Jerry had the mentality of a 6 year old. He looked different than all other kids his age. He also had a speech problem.
Jim and Jerry were best friends when they were very young. However, once Jim started school, he started to notice that Jerry was different that all his friends, and this bothered Jim. So much that he was embarrassed by Jerry. One day at school Jim yelled at Jerry on the playground and said to him, 'Look you stupid lookin' creep, why ya gotta follow me around? Leave me alone and go home.' Then Jim slapped Jerry and he went home crying.

There was only one thing Jim wanted for Christmas and that was this beautiful watch in the jewelers window, with a gold band. On Christmas morning Jim ran downstairs and opened his present, only to find a sweater. He was not happy about this and yelled at his dad. He noticed that his dad was tired. He had been up all night with Jerry because he was sick with pneumonia.
Jim and his dad walked into Jerry's room and found him mom sitting on Jerry's bed, she had been crying. They told Jim that Jerry had a gift for him. He thought it would be some homemade, butcher paper gift. Jerry wobbled over to his closet and pulled out a square, sheet of paper that had written on it, 'To my big brother, whom I love the most.'
While Jim was reading the card, he noticed the broken pieces of Jerry's piggy bank in the corner. Jerry reached under his bed and pulled out a box. He wiped his nose with his sleeve, then stood there with his arm stretched out, 'Warwy Kwishmas, Shimmy.' He opened the box and there it was, the gold watch, the one he couldn't take his eyes off. Then Jerry gave Jim a big hug and asked, 'Shimmy, where my pweshent?' Jim looked at Jerry, over to the broken pieces of his bank in the corner, at the watch, then back at his questioning eyes, and he didn't even have the courage to tell Jerry he'd forgotten about him. He just grabbed him and cried.
Jerry never lived to say, 'Happy New Year.' He died two days later.

This story pulled at my heart when I read it. I've since shared it with Chase and Paisley, and my Young Women class. I wanted to post it on here for all of you to read and for me to re-read over and over because the spirit of Christmas shouldn't just be at Christmastime, but all year long.