Christmas at School

This was the last week of school before Christmas Vacation. Christmas is so interesting in the public school system. Being fairly new at this (our oldest just ventured into “away from home” school last year) I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. You hear a lot in church and on Christian radio about the worldliness of the season, and it is true. Christmas was originally a pagan holiday and Christians just began to secretly celebrate Christ’s birth at the same time. I imagine it was a safety measure, make something good out of something unholy and keep your family safe by blending in a bit. Which I am totally OK with. Seems like a smart idea to me, and I love celebrating Christ’s birth this time of year, frosty windows, sledding, cocoa…what could be better.

But knowing that Jesus birth would not be a part of it I didn’t count on how wonderful this week would be. My boys both have believing teachers, a believing bus driver, and our principle is a Christian. While it is true that they cannot speak of Christ, they definitely have a godly impact on these children. They can speak about honor and sacrifice and love and respect. And insist on these qualities in the classroom and bus. They can love my boys with Christ’s love during the day, and believe me I see it. And yes the Christmas songs sang were about mittens and pinatas and cookies, and the crafts were gingerbread boys and trees and stockings. But when I picked up my little guy on the last day and handed out cards to their teachers and bus driver and exchanged hugs and Merry Christmas’s with one and all. I felt the incredible love of God, even though He was a silent presence among us.