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During World War II, a father drove his young son around their community on Christmas Eve to see the lighted Christmas decorations.

   Along the way, the boy noticed several windows with a star displayed in them. “Daddy, why do some of those windows have stars in them?” he asked. The stars, used during the first and second world wars, represented a son serving in the armed services, the father explained.

Still paying close attention to the colored lights, the boy suddenly caught sight of the bright evening star in the sky. “Look at that star, Daddy. God must have a son in the war too. There is a star in his window.”

I find stars in windows, Christmas treetops, and buildings beautiful. They make me conscious of their significance. One Christmas season years ago, some men from the church my husband was serving wanted to remind everyone of the birth of Jesus, the light of the world. They spent hours building a large star which they shaped on an eight-foot piece of wood covered with aluminum foil. Then they stapled the wires to cardboard. They ran into a few problems as they worked. Sometimes they got shocked, but laughed it off and were persistent. They were proud of their accomplishment and enjoyed the fellowship. They displayed the heavy object in the churchyard making it highly visible when a driver on the highway rounded a curve traveling east.

The first night they had just turned the lights on when a car full of people left the busy highway and drove up the road to stop and admire the star. The first time I saw it fully lighted, I was driving home from work. It overwhelmed me with its beauty.

While it was still shining brightly every night, a letter arrived from a passerby who wrote the church to express his thanks for its presence.

We had no way of knowing how many lives were brightened by that beautiful reminder of what Christmas is all about.

Since it is a few days past Christmas, I am reminded of a child who had caught the spirit of Christmas. Her parents wanted a reminder of Jesus’ presence, so the family placed an extra chair at their table on Christmas day and sang “Happy Birthday, Jesus.” Then they cut and enjoyed the cake the mother baked for the celebration

A visitor who witnessed the family ritual asked the five-year-old daughter if she got everything she wanted for Christmas that year. After hesitating a bit, she answered. “No, but it is not my birthday”.

It may take years before that family’s children recognize the significance of their efforts to honor the Christ Child .Apparently that little five-year-old had a head start. Just think how happy that mom and dad will be one day in the future, if their children carry on this tradition in their own homes.

I get a warm feeling inside when I remember the beautiful star in the churchyard and those who built it. I recall The “Happy Birthday Jesus” cake prepared by loving hands as another special Christmas memory.