~ A Christmas Dream ~

One night I had a dream . . . .

A light snow was falling. I was walking along a snow-covered path near a beautiful lake. The moon was high in the sky and sent off a soft warm hue over the new-fallen snow. The snow glistened in the dim night. The stars, magnified in the sky, were twinkling brightly with each star brighter and bolder than the next.

The night air was not cold, but cool enough to cause me to walk briskly along the path. Each breathe I took was visualized in the shadow of the night. As I walked around a bend in the path I saw a tall golden doorway nestled among the snow-covered trees. Soft music was playing as I neared the doorway. The music was serene and peaceful. Within the melody I sensed an invitation to open the door. As I reached for the door, it slowly began to open and I looked inside.

And there before my wandering eyes did appear a tiny sleigh and eight tiny . . .
(oops, wrong dream!)

Inside I saw a beautiful fireplace with a crackling fire glowing in the dark. The room was decorated with holly and mistletoe. Twinkling lights filled the room.

In the center of the room was a tall Christmas tree. The tree was covered with bright lights and beautiful decorations. There were many toys and gifts beneath the tree, a Raggedy Ann doll, a toy soldier beating on his drum, and even an electric train with it's whistle blowing.

At the top of the tree was an angel. Her long flowing hair draped through the branches of the tree. She was dressed in white satin, and a bright golden light was radiating around her.

I looked in awe at the wondrous sight before me. I had never seen anything so beautiful. As my eyes gazed upwards towards the angel, she began to move. She raised her arm and in her right hand was a crystal wand. She pointed the wand towards me and began to speak:

"You have entered into the presence of "True Christmas." What you see inside this room is just a visual symbol of how most people view Christmas. "True Christmas" cannot be contained within four walls, nor is "True Christmas" a person, a place, or anything that can be touched or seen. Instead, "True Christmas" comes from within. It is meant to be radiated out of each of us to everyone we see and meet. It is not something that happens one day a year, or even one season a year. "True Christmas" is something that happens every day of every year, in everyone's life.

"True Christmas" can only be described in your terms as love, but even this word cannot fully express the meaning of "True Christmas" as it really is. Each of us has the ability to give and receive enough love to fill the entire universe over and over again.

This special gift was given to us a long time ago near a town called Bethlehem. It was here that a small babe was born, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. This small child was the one who brought us the first "Real Christmas," and through his birth we were given and taught Divine Love."

The angel stopped speaking. She turned, raised up her wand and was still. In the silence, I began to think about her words, but then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a little teddy bear sitting in the corner.

He was not too large, but not too small. He sat off to the side of the room by himself and had a sad and forlorn look about him. He looked at me with his little black eyes as though inviting me to pick him up and hold him in my arms. I couldn't resist this little teddy bear, so walked over to the corner and carefully picked him up and held him close. Just then, the angel began to speak again . . .

"The teddy bear you are holding is not an ordinary teddy bear. His name is Wishes and if you hold him tightly close to your heart, he will grant you one wish. But you must remember, this wish must come from the heart and it must be a wish you will remember every day of the year."

Again the angel stopped speaking. In my dream, I held Wishes in my arms and thought about my one wish. I thought of the little babe in the manager so long ago. I thought about his gift of Divine Love, and I thought about "True Christmas".

I suddenly knew the one wish I wanted to make. I held Wishes tighter until he was close to my heart, and I closed my eyes. "I wish . . . I wish . . . I wish that everyone would remember "True Christmas" and give the gift of Divine Love to everyone they meet so that we can have Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Mankind." I stood quietly for awhile with my eyes still closed. When I finally opened my eyes, the entire room had filled with the glowing light radiating down from the angel high above me. Soft music filled the room as though a choir of angels had entered, and for just a moment I felt Wishes move within my arms. I looked down at Wishes and his little black eyes were glistening, and then, and then - I woke up!.

Had it really been a dream? I sat up and looked around. I was in my bedroom and in my own bed. "Yes, it was only a dream," I said to myself. Disappointed, I laid back down in the bed and reached for the blanket to cover myself up when I felt something beside me. It was soft and warm. I sat up again to see what it was, and there, lying by my pillow was . . .

Wishes!

So was this just a dream?

~ StinaLisa ~
©Copyright 1993

I wrote this story for three of my
grandchildren when they were younger,
and included Wishes in their Christmas package.

Merry "True Christmas" everyone!

If you have the time, stop by my home on the web,
have a cup of coffee, and see a list of my other web pages.
Please sign my Guestbook so I know you've stopped by.
Thanks!
~ StinaLisa ~

"Holiday Index"

"Mary's Boy Child"

"My Christmas Gift to You"

"Oh Holy Night"
Performed by the Vienna Boys Choir

The music playing is a condensed version of "Oh Holy Night", and is for entertainment, educational and evaluation purposes only. Titles have full copyright by their respective artists and record companies. Please show your support for the artists who gave us this great music by purchasing their CDs.

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Thank you.

"animated.gif (c) Kitty Roach."