The Smiling Santa

It was just a vinyl wall hanging.
A wall hanging with a huge picture of Santa’s face.
Kind eyes, rosy cheeks, furry hat, with wisps of white hair poking out underneath.

I don’t know where my mother found it, but it was always hung in the same place.
She chose to display it on the long, white wall on the enclosed back porch.
It was large; taking up the whole wall.
She had a revolving colored light shining on it.

A road ran behind our back porch.
People drove by throughout the day.
It was just like my mother to hang the Santa where the children could see.

The back porch was also where we had our Christmas tree.
It was up on a low table so it was visible from the road.
Fragile glass balls hung precariously from the branches.

Each year I promised myself I would not break any ornaments.
Each year I inevitably did; young hands are not meant for such fragile things.
The revolving wheel with its red, green, blue, and yellow lights continuously turned.

My mother noticed more cars than usual on the back road.
She happened to mention it during dinner, but had no explanation.
Later that week, she got her answer.

She ran into someone at the grocery store.
The woman thanked my mother for our wonderful Christmas display.
What display? my mother asked her.

Oh, you’re too modest!
Leave it to you to think of something so clever!

They each went down different aisles with their carts.
My mother saw her again near the frozen food.

I’m sorry. I hope I wasn’t rude back there.
What display are you talking about?

Your smiling Santa!

She felt ridiculously out of the loop.
How did you happen to see our Santa?

Everyone has seen it!
Everyone drives by!
All the children ask if they can pass by to see him smile.

Well, I’m so glad that you are enjoying it.
She couldn’t wait to get home and figure this whole thing out!

When it got dark, we got in the car and rode around the block.
As we passed our back porch, we slowed down and looked in the windows.
She put the emergency flashers on so we could safely stop.

We couldn’t believe what we saw!
The colored lights on the wheel seemed to change the expression of Santa’s face.
The red and yellow lights made Santa appear to smile.

The rosy cheeks seemed to lift as the bright lights shone on his face.
My mother’s understated Christmas display brought people from miles around.
Just to see Santa smiling!

From the road, we could see the tree, festive with things too fragile for small hands.
From the road, we could see the star on the top of the tree.
From the road, we could see the smiling Santa.

Everyone else could only see from the road.
We lived there, so we could see up close and personal.
Something so unassuming became the thing to see.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied…then Herod called the Magi secretly and found from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.” After they heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother, Mary and they bowed down and worshiped Him. (Matthew 2:1-11)

A star led the Magi to the Christ child.
Perhaps others saw the strange star that had appeared for the first time in the sky.
Not many of the them had studied prophecy to know the significance of the star.

God the Father led the Magi by the light of a star in the sky.
They traveled far to reach their destination.
They searched for the promised Christ; the One that was foretold.

Herod asked learned men about this Christ and where he was to be born.
He did not want to worship Him.
He wanted to annihilate Him.
He didn’t want anyone or anything to jeopardize his kingship.

But there was only One, True King.
The star could lead the way to only ONE.
There could only, ever be, ONE!

Only the wise seek Him.
They will come from miles around, following the Light that leads.
The Light will bring them to the One.
Little hands reaching out; the same Hands that will one day be stretched out on a cross.

The Light will bring them to the One.
They will come and find Him.
God the Father will smile.