Happy Christmas!!

About a decade ago, I bought a second hand book for the granddaughters at a book fair.

A warm hearted title from ‘My little Library Series’ — ‘The Friendly Pig and other Farmyard stories’ — written by Nicola Baxter.

(Nicola Baxter wears many hats, one of which is that she writes for children)

Tucked away at the end of the book, is a story that I want to share — you will know why after you have read the story.

Outside, the night was cold, but the stable was full of warm straw and sleeping animals. When two travellers stumbled into the building and curled up on the straw, the animals were not unduly surprised. They were used to shepherds and cowherds bedding down with them when there was nowhere else to stay.

“Have you come far?” the ox whispered, so that the human travellers could not hear.

“Yes”, replied the donkey. “It has been a long, hard journey. And when we arrived, there was nowhere for us to stay.”

Soon there was no sound in the little stable, as the animals and the human visitors all slept soundly in the still night.

Around midnight, there were quiet sounds from the corner where the humans had settled. The animals were woken by a sound they had never heard before. It was the cry of a baby, born that night in the poor stable.

The ox looked across at the tired woman holding the child. She seemed to be surrounded by a golden glow as she rocked the tiny child.

“She could put him in the manger that has our hay in it,” the cow whispered to the donkey. “Perhaps you could show them.”

The donkey laid his great grey head in the manger, and the lady at once understood him. As he lifted his head, she put her baby carefully in the manger, where he stopped crying and seemed to look around, liking what he saw.

The animals did not want to frighten the little child, so they knelt down in the straw around him. Then they all settled down to sleep once more.

At first the donkey could not understand why it was so hard to go back to sleep. Then he realized that the stable was full of light. Through the cracks in the roof, starlight was streaming, not from the usual stars but from one big star hovering over the building.

Did you feel what I feel after reading this simple story of ‘The Christmas Miracle’?

I loved the imagery.

The words painted a picture of a stable with farm animals; straw, a manger and the much looked down upon donkey with its large grey head, the human couple within the stable yet distinctly apart.

Just listen to the sounds, the whispers of the animals, concerned not to disturb the human visitors. Did you hear the silence of the cold, still night? And then suddenly the silence is broken by the birth cry of a baby.

Here’s another picture after the birth of the baby of a tired mother rocking her tiny baby. I can see the warm golden glow of light surrounding the mother and the silvery starlight coming through the cracks in the roof. How can we forget the kneeling animals around the baby?

Every time, I have read the story I have felt at peace yet joyful, overwhelmed by the love as seen in the stable. Can hope be far behind?

My wish to each one of you during this season and the coming year is to relive the message of the Christmas Miracle.

May Hope, Peace, Joy and loads of Love be with you and your family.

Happy Christmas!

Also wishing you an interesting, challenging and fulfilling 2023!!