When I was five years old, a boy with a blue blanket spoke about the meaning of Christmas on center stage in an empty school auditorium. I was so young at the time, and it was a TV Christmas special*, but I remember the stillness of the moment, the curiosity I felt, and how I wanted to know more. The mystery of the miraculous was not lost on that little boy in front of the TV. And in the years that followed, the boy with the blue blanket remained a wise voice in the center of a season that changed, on the surface, beyond words.

The final line of Linus’ monologue stays with me today and centers me on what matters most. The spirit of the season is not lost in the middle of nowhere with the stars shining bright. The star guides. With the certainty of the spirit, you can let your blue blanket fall at your feet and say “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

Merry Christmas…

Photo credit: Sylvain Brison (unsplash.com)

*A Charlie Brown Christmas