A Cozy Country Christmas Anthology Read Online Free PDF

Jesus to bring her a
tree and a star.
    If I couldn’t supply a tree, would her faith
be shattered? Seated on the milking stool, I leaned my head against
the warmth of Buttercup’s flank, and ran through a mental list of
friends who would be happy to loan me the money. Steven’s pride
would be hurt, however, realizing as he did that it couldn’t be
paid back. The doctor, the hospital and the various utility
companies all claimed first priority.
    Dippy, part-Siamese, as his crossed eyes
attested, rubbed his cheek against my leg and purred. He was
waiting for a squirt of milk and I obliged. Opening his mouth wide,
he gulped happily and licked off the drops which had spattered
across his whiskers.
    As I fed Fawn, I began to feel more at peace.
The animals, the scent of straw from the loft and the manger I was
filling with hay reminded me of a stable in long ago Bethlehem.
Jesus was born in humble circumstances among the animals and grain
because there was no room in the inn.
    I froze, pitchfork upraised. No room in the
inn? There was no room in my heart for Him, either. My worries
about bills, the children and Steven had crowded out the love and
warmth of the Christ Child. No wonder I stumbled from task to task
with a heavy heart.
    I found myself singing along with the radio,
anxious to get back to get back into the house and enjoy the wonder
and majesty of Christmas with my family; the tinsel and glitter now
seemed unimportant—we had each other.
    I poured some milk into a pan for the cats
and wished them all a “Merry Christmas” before going back out into
the falling snow, the lights form the kitchen beckoning me with
their warmth and cheer.
    Jill was very quiet during supper. Throughout
the day she had kept checking the spot in the family room she had
reserved for her “tree” in hopes that it had been delivered, but
without success.
    After the meal, Donna and I cleared the table
and Lars brought the family Bible to his father for the reading of
the Christmas Story.
    Steven had just reached the point where the
wise men inform King Herod, “For we have come to worship Him,” when
the strains of “Silent Night” became audible.
    Jeff ran to the window. “Look, everybody!
We’ve got carolers!” There was a scraping of chairs as his brother
and sisters ran to join him.
    The snow fell softly, muffling the sound of
young voices. I opened the window and we listened as our visitors
sang three more songs. Donna and Lars ran outside to invite them in
for cookies and hot chocolate. Al Miller, a Sunday School teacher
and a good friend, was the leader of the group and warned his
charges to wipe their feet on the mat before turning to Steven.
    “We brought you a surprise,” Al said. “I sent
some of the older boys back out to get it.”
    The surprise was a three-foot-tall evergreen
set in a tree holder and decorated with construction paper chains
and handmade ornaments. Jill danced around excitedly, stepping on
people’s feet and strewing cookie crumbs on the family room carpet
as the tree was carried in in triumph.
    Her cup of joy overflowed, however, when Al
reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a star trimmed in
glittering gold. “This belongs on top of the church tree,” he told
Jill. “But I thought it might be happier here for a few days.”
    He lifted Jill so she could place it on the
top of the tree. The chatter of people in the kitchen rang in my
ears as I stared at the sweet smelling evergreen.
    Al grinned at my shocked expression. “My
Sunday School class wanted to do something special for a family and
I happened to think of you and Steven. They’ve been slaving away on
ornaments and paper chains for a month—just as excited about their
surprise as this little sprout seems to be.” He nodded at Jill who
was seated cross-legged before the tree, head tilted back as she
gazed up at the star.
    I managed to stammer our thanks and Steven
pressed Al’s hand fervently. At the door, our good friend