'Christmas every day' by Robert H. Gilbert, Jr.: Part of SOON Online Magazine

SOON Online Magazine

Stories

Christmas Every Day

Robert H. Gilbert

I wonder what it's like to be in Heaven,
Each year, when Christmas comes around.
I wonder what it's like to be in Heaven
With the Lord, my wings, and a crown.

I had been sitting at my desk for about ten hours, with three trash cans full of crumpled papers and only four lines written. Every time I began writing another line or two, they didn't make any sense to the story.

Deciding it was time to take a break, I got up from the desk, went to the kitchen, and got another cup of coffee. Carrying the coffee into the living room, I sat down in my recliner by the fireplace, propped up my feet, sipped the coffee, and leaned my head back against the cushion. The warm fire, hot coffee, and soft cushions helped relax all the muscles in my body.

As I began to relax, my eyelids slowly closed and I fell into a deep, relaxed, sleep. I could feel my body floating skyward, so high I could look down at the earth below. I was now going past the moon, then past Mars, Saturn, and even Pluto. Then, I was out into the Milky Way.

How far I was going, I did not know. But, it seemed that I did not have control of my body. Standing on what seemed to be a large cloud, I was scared of falling through. But, each time I took a step, I seemed to float. Not knowing which way to go, I said, "Eenie, meenie, mynie and moe," and went in that direction ~ just started floating, one step at a time.

As I continued floating, on my way to who knows where, a bright light appeared before me. As I got accustomed to the light, I could make out the form of an angel. She was spreading her arms outward and said, in a soft voice, "Welcome."

"Welcome to where?" I wanted to know.

"Follow me," she said.

Floating for a ways, she led me before something that I could not believe I was seeing. There stood the tallest Christmas tree I had ever seen! There were lights, in all the colors of the rainbow, hanging like tiny stars on every limb of the tree. Under the tree were so many presents, I couldn't begin to count them. There must have been a million or more!

Standing back from the tree, I looked up to see the biggest and brightest star I had ever seen. I'm sure it was the North Star.

Noticing the people around me, they were all cheerful and singing carols such as Silent Night, Noel, Little Town of Bethlehem, and Away in a Manger.

"How did they manage to hand out all those presents on Christmas day?" I asked the angel, who was giving me the tour. "Santa must be a busy man."

Then, I looked down at the presents and saw that there were no names on them. "How do you know which presents belong to whom?"

She told me they were all the same thing. "They're all the same presents?" I asked, surprised.

As she put her wings in place, she turned to me and said, "Mister, do these wings fit okay?"

"Darling, you look just like an angel!" I said. With tears in my eyes, I turned and walked away ... trying to convince myself that this was just a dream.

Suddenly, I heard a big banging sound, over and over. Opening my eyes, I was still sitting in my recliner, with my coffee cup in hand. Having touched the cup, it was still very hot.

Again, I heard a banging sound and realized it was someone at the front door. I got my feet on the floor, set my cup down on the table, stood up and stretched this way and that, then walked over to the front door.

Having opened the door, there stood a little girl with a present in her hand. She stretched her arms forward to give me the present and wished me a Merry Christmas.

As I took the present, I said, "Little girl, do I know you? Have we met somewhere before?" She just smiled, then turned and went down the sidewalk.

Going back to the chair, I started to sit down. Then, I stopped, "Did she say Merry Christmas?" Walked over to the wall, I looked at the calendar. I was right! It was only May.

I looked down at the present, then went to my chair and sat down. Slowly untying the ribbon, I opened the lid on the box. There was a small pair of wings, a harp, and a crown. So, my dream was real after all.

After getting up out of my recliner, I crossed the room to sit down at my desk. Now, the words came freely.

You don't have to wonder about your loved one
Being gone on this Christmas day.
You don't have to worry about Christmas
'Cause it's Christmas, in Heaven, every day.

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