All They Want for Christmas

All she wants is the doll. She gazes longingly at it,  featured there in the Sears Christmas Catalog. The doll is beautiful. Long golden curls that you can brush and style, eyelashes that fringe ocean blue eyes--eyes that open and close, mind you! The doll comes dressed in a nightgown in the softest shade of pink she has ever seen.  A blanket and bottle were included. Of course optional equipment could be purchased; clothes, such as the red velvet dress or the yellow gingham, stroller, high chair, and a myriad of other things, but all she wants is the doll.

He dreams about the Lincoln log set day and night. The page, torn from the catalog, is posted above his bed where he can lay and stare at it, imagining all the fun things he will build. Cities surrounded by fortified walls, castles with towers, and of course, the basic log cabin. He could use his G.I. Joe figures to live in the houses he would build and maybe even ‘borrow’  a girl figure from his sisters stash so there would be a damsel in distress to rescue. Yes, that Lincoln Log set was impressive and so were his dreams.

The first section she turns to when the Catalog arrives is the jewelry section. There, on the bottom of page 98, lays her heart’s desire: a gold locket. Oval, engraved and on a long fine chain, it opens and can hold two miniature pictures, or, she thinks dreamily, a lock of her lover’s hair. She blushes at the thought. She doesn't have a boyfriend. And if she did, she would probably be studying the rings a few pages over. She carefully folds the corner of the page down, the locket circled with a yellow marker.

He wasn't usually fussy. But he knows what he wants and if he gets his wish this year, wow, will he ever be happy! The signature red Swiss Army Knife was every boy scouts dream. Sure he has a knife already, but this--THIS was the REAL THING! He can clearly see how much quicker he will be able to cut through a rope. The bottle opener would come in handy on a warm day when you wanted to buy an ice cold coke from Sam’s Mini Mart. It had a screwdriver, tweezers, magnifying glass and even a toothpick! And it came with the official Boy Scout Logo on the handle. Oh it was a fine tool and wouldn't it look impressive tucked neatly in its sheath and strapped to his belt? He whistles softly and slides his bookmark in between the pages and lays the catalog on top of the kitchen table where his dad will surely see it.

It was dark long before she struggled through the door, one arm filled with a paper bag of groceries, purse, and the mail, the other hand fumbling for the keys. Once inside she collapses on the couch and lets out a huge sigh. Oh, what she would give for someone else to cook supper. As she slips off her shoes her eyes fall on the Christmas Catalog lying on the coffee table. She massages her foot and shakes her head wryly. What she wants wont be found in there. Peace on earth? Oh, give me a break! I just want what every working woman needs: my own housewife! She wearily rises from the couch and heads to the kitchen.

He'd almost missed the little chapel tucked in the cedar grove, but a light had caught his eye just in time to make the turn, the tires crunching gravel.  As he gets out of the car, he feels the silence. Breathing in deeply he looks around. It is just as he remembers. He stands, hands on hips, head tilted back, as snowflakes drift down and gently tickle his face. There will be a Christmas Eve candlelight service tonight and his heart quickens in his chest, knowing she will be here. He hadn't written to tell her he was coming, wanting it to be a surprise, and he pats the pocket of his overcoat to assure himself that the little square box is where it should be. This will be the best Christmas ever…as long as she says yes.

And in the heavens, gazing through the portal, the One who has given life to these individuals, yearns for his beloved children to recognize the greatest gift ever given; the gift that signifies why we celebrate Christmas at all.