The following is an e-mail that goes around the web every year but I thought it was something I'd like to keep here in my Commonplace Book:

"Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card
writing,endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I
found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family
moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. 

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting
season    for a six-year-old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his
school's    "Winter Pageant." 

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the
production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his
teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the
presentation. 

All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning
of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on
the cafeteria floor and sat down. 

Around the room, I saw several  other parents quietly scampering to
their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each
class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor.
Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. 

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the
holiday    as Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial
entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good
cheer. So, when my       son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback
by its  bold title. 

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy
mittens,  red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front
row-center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the
title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child
would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until
each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message,
"Christmas Love." 

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a
small,  quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down
--totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W." 

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's
mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood
tall, proudly holding her "W." Although many teachers tried to shush the
children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and
we all saw it together. 

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant,
we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in
the  first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our
festivities. 

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: 

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E" 

And, I believe, He still is.