Christmas in the Air by Irene Brand

continued, “Standing in this pulpit brings out the preacher in me. I’m sure all of you know that the Bible doesn’t say anything about celebrating the birth of Jesus. It’s not His birth, but His death, burial and resurrection that holds the key to our salvation. We need to keep that truth foremost in our minds.”
    A strong blast of wind rattled the window frames. Sitting beside Sean, Livia felt him shiver.
    â€œIt was the fourth century before Christians started observing His birth, which coincided with a Roman pagan holiday, the Saturnalia, celebrated near the winter solstice. The exact date of the birth of Christ is uncertain, but by the Middle Ages, the twenty-fifth of December was generally accepted as Christmas Day.”
    â€œAs I remember from Sunday school,” Livia said, “early observances consisted mostly of feasting and merrymaking, a lot like the way people celebrate today.”
    Eric nodded. “At first, a few churches honored the nativity for one day. But during the Middle Ages, celebrations expanded to a week or two. During the Protestant Reformation, in the sixteenth century, Christmas had become a day of reveling more than a time of worship. The celebration was outlawed by many religious sects.”
    â€œThat includes the Pilgrims and Puritans,” Quinn added. “They didn’t observe Christmas, but other Europeans brought the worship of Christmas to our shores. Since the Bible doesn’t specifically tell us when and where, or even if we should observe the birth of Jesus, we can worship here as well as if we were in our own church buildings.”
    â€œAs I said earlier,” Eric continued, “I personally feel that God brought us together in this place for some specific reason. We can each observe the holiday in our own way, or we can join together in a unique experience that will bring us closer to the real meaning of Christmas and to each other. Are you with me?”
    Everyone applauded, and Sean said, “How do we start?”
    â€œI want to have a tree,” Allen said. “I’ve always decorated the tree with my kids. As soon as it’s light enough, I’ll check outside and see if I can find anything that will serve as a tree.”
    â€œNo reason you can’t cut some branches off the evergreens in the cemetery,” Les said. “We have to trim the trees every few years anyway.”
    â€œI’ve got a sewing kit in the van,” Roxanne said. “If you’ve got any bags of popcorn in the truck, we can string that into a garland.”
    â€œI know there are some cranberries you can string with the corn,” Allen said.
    â€œLet’s draw names like we did in elementary school,” Livia said. “Surely, we can sort through our belongings and come up with eight gifts, even if some of the things are used. Maybe we can use whatever talents we have to give gifts that will help us remember this experience with fondness.”
    â€œI’m for that,” Allen said. “I’m trying to deal with this situation positively. But I feel like an outsider. Five of you are friends. Les and I are kinda separated from the rest of you. I’m trying not to think of the negative things, like the damage to the truck and missing my family. But it’s hard.”
    Eric stepped to Allen’s side and put a brotherly arm around his broad shoulders. “My friend, we’re all in this together. Don’t feel shut out. Fortunately, I have my wife and mother-in-law with me. But I’m concerned about my parents, who’ll be very worried about us. We know we’re all right, but they don’t. In many ways, they’re going to have a worse holiday than we will. I’ve been praying that God will give our families peace of mind.”
    It seemed odd to see tears appear in Allen’s eyes. Hisappearance suggested that he was the rugged he-man type, who wouldn’t be daunted by any