A Christmas Gift

Christmas is such a joyous time of year. I love decorating (and seeing others’ decorations), singing carols, and picking out presents for friends and family.

One December many years ago when I was a full-time teacher, I was particularly busy trying to get ready for Christmas. A few days before the holiday break, I was not feeling well. My throat was sore, and I had trouble swallowing, particularly solid food.

During the break, as my husband and I began a long drive to spend Christmas with his family, it also became difficult for me to swallow liquids, talk, or help with any of the driving. Along the way, we stayed in a hotel overnight, and I asked my husband to call a Christian Science practitioner to pray for me. My husband spoke with the practitioner initially, since I couldn’t talk, and then handed me the telephone to listen to the uplifting thoughts she shared about God, Spirit, and my wholly spiritual nature as His creation.

When we arrived at our destination the next day, as much as I wanted to participate in Christmas festivities, I kept to myself and used the time alone as an opportunity to think about the true meaning of Christmas. As I searched the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, I was reminded that it wasn’t about the decorations, caroling, and rushing around to buy presents. Particularly helpful was this excerpt from an essay titled “What Christmas means to me” that she wrote for The Ladies’ Home Journal: “I love to observe Christmas in quietude, humility, benevolence, charity, letting good will towards man, eloquent silence, prayer, and praise express my conception of Truth’s appearing” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 262).

On Christmas Eve my husband and I visited a friend for dinner. Her grown children all lived in distant cities, and she had recently gone through a divorce, so she was alone at Christmas for the first time, and we wanted to support her. I had still not eaten food for several days, but when we entered her home, I encountered the true sense of Christmas: the spirit of divine Love.

As my husband and our friend talked before dinner, I felt all the symptoms I’d been experiencing melt away. I was able to eat a full dinner—dessert and all. Reaching out to and being with our friend showed me what Christmas is all about: feeling and expressing God’s healing love. I was learning that “humility, benevolence, charity, . . . good will towards man” could be my gift—to give and receive. I was experiencing for the first time the healing effect of the true, spiritual sense of Christmas.

From that time on, I had total freedom to swallow and talk. I felt so much joy. While I still appreciate the season’s festivities, I will never forget the spiritual sense of Christmas.