The Christmas Gift

I was asked what I would like as a Christmas present by one of the moms in my class last year and I asked for a book specifically from the country where they are from. It should also be a story about Christmas. According to her, it took her multiple visits to bookstores in Madrid to find that book but ended ordering it through the net because of the difficulty to find one.

I got it last January and just recently read the book to one of my student as part of her writing exercise. The book is called The Christmas Gift / El Regalo de Navidad and it talks about Panchito as a one of the sons wanting a red ball for Christmas. The parents are poor and they are migrant workers who move all the time to find work. It is a story about making ends meet. In the end, Panchito received a box of candies instead. 

Panchito was sad as he was hoping for a ball but it was the scene that Christmas morning that made him realized that Christmas was not about presents, it was about being together as a family. The smile on the face of mom, after the father wiped her tears with a cheap handkerchief as his present was the trigger. The author Francisco Jimenez's poignant Christmas memory celebrates the true spirit of Christmas. This is what we should be aiming for. 

This Christmas, the parents of my students decided to give me something else. Different in a way that it wasn't wrapped or boxed just like a usual gift. They gave me a token, to buy myself an airplane ticket, as a gift this Christmas.

And in that card were the words most important to me as a person.The words were just uplifting and reassuring that I am doing a great job as a teacher. It was the best gift and better because I get to be home for the holidays.

So no matter how challenging life was and how down I had been feeling this year because of many things, I continue to believe in Christmas. Just as the Grinch in the book of Dr. Seuss says, " Christmas cannot be stopped." And a realization at the end of the book that, "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more! 

Yes, Christmas is not just about togetherness. It is also about renewal and faith. May this holiday be a beacon to lighten our minds and a welcome rest for our weary souls as we prepare to greet the birth of Jesus and the coming of a new year.

Merry Christmas to all of you!