“Alleluia” by J. Nez F. Marcelo (instrumental)
Listen to “Christmas Eve”
The December night’s sky was clear and the diamond-like stars twinkled with holiday brilliance as a dozen and a half youthful voices rang through the cold air with the clear sweet melodies of Christmas carols. Sandra Anne Lee strolled along with the others, half-wishing Bob could only be here tonight. She looked in admiration at her best friends, Julie and Allen, who walked ahead hand in hand. In just a day or two, Bob would be here. Then the four of them would spend Christmas together.
“Hey, Sandra, have a cookie!” She looked up to see that the carolers had stopped in front of a house where a little old warm-hearted lady had given cookies to the young singers. And there stood Peter Macintosh, Allen’s little brother, with cookies in an outstretched hand. Sandra smiled warmly as she thanked him.
The pleasant evening passed all too quickly, even for half-lonely Sandra. Despite Bob’s lengthy absence, Sandra was happy; she was in love. But once back at the church, Mrs. Betty Macintosh, the pastor’s wife, greeted Sandra solemnly. “The hospital just phoned,” she said.
A surge of fear shot through Sandra’s body. Her mother! But it couldn’t be—it just couldn’t be. She remembered last July when her mother had had the first terrible attack, and then the operation. It had been a dreadful, unreal nightmare. She felt Bob’s hand clutching her own as they prayed during those crucial hours. And then there was the miraculous pull-through and road to recovery. Then it happened all over again. Now for months her mother had lain in bed, sometimes seeming to be better, sometimes not. But Sandra had long ago accepted the cruel reality and adjusted her life to it. Yet now she felt very weak, as she looked straight into Mrs. Macintosh’s deep blue eyes.
“The doctor says only a few more hours at the most,” she continued. “Your father is there now; do you want me to take you? Or if you want to go to the young people’s social, I’ll take you. Whatever you say.”
A brief smile broke on Sandra’s face. Mrs. Macintosh was so sweet. Besides, Sandra wasn’t the dismal type. She decided quickly. She would go to the hospital and then go to the social.
Mr. Lee, who was staying with his wife at the hospital that night, was very sad. Sandra’s eyes were not dry as she left her mother’s room. She knew it might be the last time she would ever see her this side of heaven.
Of course, vivacious Sandra could not fully enjoy the social, but she decided not to be gloomy. They would reunite some sweet day, Daddy and her and Mommie. Jesus had promised it, and now she clung desperately to what Bob had often brought to her attention, quoting Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good…”
It wasn’t until Sunday when Sandra was at Julie’s house that she broke down in front of her. Mrs. Lee had pulled through the night; but the tension seemed to be even greater. Half-relieved, half-anticipating she-didn’t-know-what, Sandra blurted out in a tone that almost surprised Julie, “Why does Bob have to be coming here now anyway?!” Then she went through all his faults while almost in the same breath reviewing his virtues.
Julie listened patiently to it all, trying to understand her best friend. She knew how much Sandra really wanted to be with Bob. She had even stayed last night, upon Mrs. Macintosh’s invitation, at Macintoshes’ house, since that’s where Bob would go first. Yet she secretly longed to be all alone for a while.
Then Sandra talked about college, about next year up north at Pacific Christian College with Bob, about the years after that when Julie and Allen would be there, and the years after that when the four of them would be in evangelism. Dreams, yes, but it helped to release Sandra’s pent-up emotions. That night she slept until nearly ten the next morning, December 24.
The shrill sound of the telephone awakened Sandra. She heard Mrs. Macintosh answer the phone and then call her. “Sandra, this call is for you.”
“All right, Julie,” she groaned, crawling out of bed. But when she answered the phone, her heart pounded hard.
“Bob? Bob!” she cried. “Oh, I can hardly believe it! How long are you staying in Riverdale? Have you seen your ‘little sis’ Julie yet?” And so it went.
Sandra spent the afternoon at Macintoshes’ house. For four long months, 600 miles had separated them; now nothing, not even Pastor Don Macintosh’s presence, stopped Sandra and Bob from falling into each other’s arms.
They spent the afternoon at Macintoshes’ busily preparing for a Christmas Eve supper. Mr. Lee, whom the pastor and his wife called Harry, and Sandra’s Aunt Jane would be there, too. And of course Julie would be there if Allen had anything to say about it!
It was a good old-fashioned Christmas Eve—everything from a prettily decorated tree to Allen’s youngest brother Kenny spilling milk on the living room rug. The supper, eaten by candlelight, was simple yet delightful. After supper Harry and Jane and Betty and Don, as they called each other, chatted. Peter and Kenny watched as four of the happiest young people in the world talked and laughed, sometimes reminiscing. They passed around their placemats for each other to sign, then let a drop of red wax from the burning candles fall onto each placemat.
Sandra seemed to be at the zenith of happiness. Even now, her mind wandered back to over eight months ago when it had all started. Then it was the grade school teacher, Raymond Pierce, whom she had met at the St. Patrick’s Day party. Soon afterwards, Raymond had introduced Sandra to his best friend Bob Miller and his then-girlfriend Wanda, with whom they double dated frequently. After that, Bob and Julie had dated, and what could be better than best friends together? Then there was the marriage proposal from Raymond—a sudden, exciting thing that nearly swept Sandra off her feet! Sandra’s graduation came, and Raymond didn’t want to wait. But Sandra wasn’t ready. Summer came, and with it came Sandra’s decision. Sandra was firm in saying no, and soon Raymond reluctantly told her goodbye and headed back to his hometown to teach school.
Depressed and out of a job, Bob had temporarily stayed in his trailer on Julie Scott’s family’s place. Then in July, Julie and her family took a vacation back East and Bob stayed at their house to take care of their yard and pets. That was when Sandra and Bob had fallen in love. Julie had gone on vacation and Allen started writing letters to her using blue stationery. Fortunately (for Bob), Allen and Julie got back together, so Bob and Sandra were free to get together.
All this ran through Sandra’s mind in just a moment as she breathed a secret sigh—now Bob was hers, all hers….
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