It was the morning of Christmas Eve, and Megan had just finished helping her dad set up the Christmas creche. After carefully looking it over, Mr. Kevinson left the living room to gather the rest of the family. It was nearly time for the family rosary, and all the family members were scattered in the house. Megan sighed peacefully and looked out the window. The snow was so pretty... But then an ugly little face appeared in the open window and ruined the scene.
“Colin Miller! What are you doing here?” The girl exclaimed.
“I’m gettin’ more for Christmas than you are! Guess I was a better little boy than you were!” He sneered.
“I couldn’t have been a good boy if I wanted to!” She retorted.
“You’re just jealous!” He laughed.
“Why should I care how many tens of gifts someone like you will get tomorrow? You’re such a brat!”
“I am rubber, and you are glue!” Colin replied in an obnoxious sing-song way.
“All you think about is presents!” Megan sighed loudly.
“The real meaning of Christmas is Christ. And the Mass on that day. Hence ‘Christ’ ‘Mas’.” She explained.
“Yeah, yeah! I know all that! What did you take me for? A pagan?” Colin was quite indignant.
“You only think of God during Christmas Mass! (If you even do then.) Then, once you get home - ”
“Hey! What’s wrong with gettin’ stuff on Christmas?” The boy demanded.
“There’s nothing wrong with reasonable taking and getting of gifts on Christmas! But it’s become the focus for everyone” she replied with frustration.
“And who’s to say that you're always thinking about the true meaning of Christmas on that day?” chided Colin.
“I have trouble with that. It’s true. But - ”
“See?!”
“I’m trying to make it my focus, and it will be this year!”
“Good luck! I’ll prove to you where your head is this Christmas!”
Megan was about to respond to that when her parents called her for the rosary. She stood up and left, and Colin scrambled off.
Both could hardly wait for the next day to come!
The Kevinsons arose early the next morning to attend Midnight Mass. Megan tried to keep her mind focused on Christmas. But it was so hard! Her parents were so poor that they could only afford to buy each child one gift each! What would her gift be? But no. While she was at church, she should think of Baby Jesus. He loved her enough to lower Himself to a human state... and then to suffer and die for her. Did she love him enough to think of him for a couple hours? For the rest of the Mass, her guardian angel helped her stay focused.
When she arrived home with her family, they all went back to sleep till about 8:00 in the morning. After that, they had breakfast and said their rosary. Then, Megan’s dad suggested that it was time to gather around the tree and begin “opening colorful packages.” The children rushed to the tree and each began searching for the gift with their name on it. What a surprise for Megan when everyone else had found their present and hers was nowhere to be found!
“Did anyone take two by mistake?” Mrs. Kevinson asked.
The children double-checked their stashes. No one had an extra box. Poor Megan was at a loss. After all, what was Christmas without presents?
Her parents distinctly remembered buying a gift for everyone, and finally came to the conclusion that it must have fallen somewhere before it got to the bottom of the tree. Upon hearing this, Megan asked for permission to look for it in the front yard. Her parents consented and within minutes she was out the door and carefully searching. It wasn’t five minutes after she’d left the house, when a familiar voice called to her.
“Hey, Meg! Merry Christmas!”
Looking up, she saw Colin triumphantly waving a little present in the air.
“You give that back!” she screamed.
“But why does a pious little girl like you care?” He jeered.
Megan was furious and began to chase him. But her older sister came out and stopped her before she could get far.
“We shouldn’t trespass Megan. You know that!”
Megan wanted to argue that but her sister had already gone back into the house. And by the time they had finished arguing, who knew where Colin would be.
The boy was, in fact, at the front door to his own house. He hurried inside, slammed the door behind him, and scrambled up to his front porch, which was directly over the sidewalk. Megan watched him anxiously as he tore off the paper to her Christmas present.
What could be inside? It was such a small box…Maybe it was candy that he could eat in front of her! Imagine Colin’s disappointment on finding nothing but a porcelain doll in the box. He took it out and set it on the railing. He examined it briefly, and with an air of contempt, flicked it off the deck and onto the street. All of Megan hopes shattered with her new doll. Completely forgetting her sister’s admonition, Megan dashed across the road to retrieve her present. But alas! It couldn’t even be glued, for it was in so many little pieces. With a heavy heart, the girl gathered the fragments and headed back to her house. She opened the door and entered the living room. With as much of a smile as she could muster, she set the porcelain chips before the figurine of the Infant Jesus, and whispered:
“Happy birthday, Christ!”
So, she would have no presents that Christmas. Oh well. After all, Our Lord didn’t come into the world to put a smile on the faces of little children each winter. And now, by sacrificing her one Christmas gift, Megan had a chance to show God how grateful she was to him for sacrificing His Son.
That night, Mr. and Mrs. Miller were well informed of everything. Of course, they were quite ashamed of their son, and told him to give Megan a gift of his own to compensate for what he took. Lying in bed, Megan could hear horrible screams coming across the way.
“WHY DO I HAVE TO?!?!? SHE DESERVED IT! WAAAAAHH!!!!!!”
“If you don’t, you’ll be grounded for a week.”
“NO! NOOO!!!”
“Be quiet Colin!”
“WAAAAHHH!!!”
Poor Megan sighed with frustration and pulled the covers over her head. How could one sleep with all that in their earshot? Suddenly, she received a special grace. For the first time in her life, Megan felt sorry for Colin. Not because he would stay trapped in his room for a week. He deserved that. (He deserved more than that!) But rather, because he was such a miserable little brat! He not only would be miserable during his life, but he actually had an easier chance than she of losing his soul when he died? And why was it that way? Megan had done nothing to deserve being given better parents than he. What could she do to help the poor boy? Since nothing presented itself in her mind, she decided to just wait and pray for the time being.
The next day, Colin’s parents brought him to the Kevinson’s house. Mr. Kevinson opened the door with Megan standing beside him.
“Go on!” Said Mrs. Miller.
With a frown on his hanging head, Colin handed Megan a toy horse.
“No, thank you.” She replied. Colin still held his hand out.
“Would you like something else, dear?” Mrs. Miller asked.
Megan took a deep breath and shifted nervously. She said a prayer to her guardian angel, and replied as gently and politely as she could:
“No. It’s alright. He won’t behave any better if I accept his gift. He’ll think that the matter is done and he’ll return to his normal life as though nothing were wrong.”
It was an uncomfortable thing for her to say, and more so for Colin’s parents to hear. But they said “Goodbye”, and left, after an awkward silence.
Megan was afraid that her parents might reproach her. On the contrary, they were very pleased.
“It’s always good to be careful about when to say such things.” Her mother reminded her.
“But in this case, you did just fine!” She finished.
Megan’s Christmas wound up being a very happy one. And her siblings shared their own gifts with their sister. Megan had received many graces. And now, by the prayers of their neighbors, the Millers were beginning to get some as well. Little Colin, in particular, thought a lot about what Megan had said. What an odd family was her’s! She wasn’t mad at him anymore and she let him keep his gift. But not because he may like the gift, but so that he’d be good!…Why would she care how he behaved in his day-to-day life?
At length, Colin again appeared in her living room window.
“Here.” He said gruffly, handing her his horse.
“I already told you ‘No, thank you’.” She reminded him.
“I know. You want to be nice to me. And you want me to be good so that Santa can give us both more presents next year.”
“If Santa was real, you wouldn’t have gotten anything! Unless he spoils you rotten just like your - ” And then, she stopped herself.
“No, Colin. I want you to be good so that you will go to Heaven. If you stay bratty like this, you won’t get to Heaven. Do you want that?”
“But I thought everyone went to Heaven.”
“No. Just people who love God and be good for Him get to live with Him.”
Colin was getting just a little disconcerted. Finally, he raised his head, and in a tone other than the stiff one he always used, he asked Megan: “So, will I go to Hell?”
“If you pray to your guardian angel and the Holy Family for help for you and your parents, I’m sure you’ll all save your souls!” She smiled.
At that, Colin stood up and walked back to his house. A week later, Megan was praying near the Christmas creche. But something caught her eye on the windowsill. It was a little slip of paper with a crudely drawn depiction of the Nativity. On the bottom corner was the artist’s name: “Colin Miller” Megan smiled and turned over the cute “holycard”. On the back, it read:
To the Kevinsons.
Thank you all for your prayers, and know that you are in ours.
Merry Christmas and God Bless!
the Millers
Megan joyfully set the card back down. She then knelt down, and, turning her eyes to the creche, she thanked the Holy Family for the beginning of the change in her neighbors for the better. Who Else could’ve arranged a more perfect Christmas Gift?