It Started With a Book

Christmas comes but once a year,

People greet it with cheer.

Knowing the joy it brings to all the boys and girls.

As they watch the snowflakes twirl.

They wait all year round

For the gifts to be found.

It always arrives with such force

Unless of course…

You're Hailey…

Hailey was not in the mood for Christmas. She almost had no use for it. There was already snow on the ground and had been for almost a month. But she couldn't be bothered.

Her Instagram feed was littered with photos of fully decorated trees and people taking their kids to sit on some mall Santa's lap. Who has mall Santas out before December anyway? She had already been to two Christmas craft shows with her mom and sister. She'd been sent reminders for two of her friends' kids' Christmas concerts. She had two Christmas parties coming up, and her mom was on her case about a Christmas list for the family Christmas. The list of gifts she needed to buy felt expensive. Her inbox was full of Christmas deals “for the ones you love.”

Was it too late to book a trip to the beach for Christmas? Probably. But it was a nice idea. Maybe next year she would just leave.

At this rate, she was just lucky she had put up the outside Christmas lights before the mood set in. She wasn't sure she could have convinced herself otherwise…

She was already feeling Christmas fatigue and December had just started. She didn't want to listen to the songs or put up her tree…and absolutely no Christmas movies! Even the lights weren't making her feel all magical like they had other years…

Was this what growing up felt like? Hailey hoped not. Maybe if she just waited, eventually she would find the joy of Christmas. She decided she'd best pull out her Christmas decorations, just in case she found the desire to decorate.

It took her an hour to get everything out of the attic… Why did she have so much stuff? She put the last box down with a huff, then sat down on the couch and stared at it.

The box she'd just set down seemed to call to her. This is so dumb. She rolled her eyes but grabbed the box anyway. She set it on the couch…but before she opened the box she decided hot chocolate sounded like a good idea. The only thing her Christmas funk hadn't taken from her.

She delayed opening the box, regardless of how strong this "call" felt. She made hot chocolate and scrolled through her phone. But eventually, she ran out of distractions and sat down with the box.

"What makes you so special, huh?" She popped the lid off the box, and there sat books. "Oh… " A small smile formed.

They weren't just any books; they were Christmas books from her childhood. She carefully pulled them out one at a time, flipping through the artwork, reading a few that she remembered so well...

She laughed at the silly storylines, at all the happy endings. Suddenly she couldn't help but feel a little better about the whole Christmas thing. Christmas wasn't just about the tree, gifts, and music; there was more. There were friends and family, and there was the very reason for the whole season. She picked up a book she could still hear her father read - "The Crippled Lamb" - and put it on display. Maybe she was in a funk about Christmas, but she wouldn't forget the reason for the season. If that's all she got this year, that would be enough.