TRUE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

TRUE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS(MADHU KOHLI) True Spirit of Christmas

“Christmas is only three weeks away”, said Margaret to Mary, her little five year old daughter who was just finishing her homework. Mary loved to color and was just finishing coloring in her favorite coloring book Santa had given her last year. On hearing of Christmas, Mary’s eyes lit up and she quickly closed her coloring book and danced up to her mother. “Ma, will Santa come to our house this year too?” she asked, her eyes full of sparkle. Margaret hugged the little girl to her and said “Of course he will Mary, we wrote him our new address, didn’t we? He is bound to remember and come down the chimney.”

Mary happily settled in her mother’s lap and asked, “Ma, why don’t you tell me the story of how Santa found you and gave me to you? How did you know that I was your daughter and how did you recognize me when I was a baby?" Mary loved to ask her mother this ever since she had heard people in school talk in hushed whispers that she was an adopted child. Mary was too young to know what adoption meant but when she had asked her mother, she had said that adopted means Santa had brought her a special baby which was her. This seemed to satisfy her and she always loved to hear how Santa had brought her in a sledge and then down the chimney to her mother and that she was thus a very special child.

Margaret could not have children and thus John and she had adopted Mary when she was just a few months old and her biological parents had been killed in an accident. Because she was a girl, no relatives had wanted to accept her and Margaret and John treated her like Gods own gift and brought her home to them. They had treated her like a little princess with whatever they could afford. The first two years were full of happiness and then one day Margaret received the shock of her life. She had been feeling unwell and had come back early after teaching when she saw her husband in a compromising position with his secretary and was shocked. John and Margaret had been married for over 10 years and John was not the promiscuous sort, so then what led John to have a relationship with his secretary? There was a lull for a few days and then John left the house. Margaret was left alone to bring up Mary and though the little girl brought her a lot of joy Margaret never got over the loss of John. She knew that he was now living with Mitchell, his secretary, and playing father to Mitchell’s little boy Robert. Mary often asked for her father but Margaret always told her that he loved her a lot and was travelling overseas and would soon come back. She did not have the heart to tell a child that her father had deserted them for good and she had been left for another woman.

Margaret forgot her own illness in the enthusiasm of Mary preparing for Christmas. She had spent hours trying to decorate the tree that they always put up every year. As the small little decorations went up on the tree, the smile on the little girl’s face got bigger. She had also put up her stockings just in case Santa came in early and wanted to leave her a present. She always put an extra one for her dad, just in case Santa wanted to leave him a present too. But she secretly also prayed that maybe Santa would leave her dad in the stocking for her, she really did miss him but she knew that when she spoke about him, ma got sad and upset, so she had stopped talking about him. Margaret knew that Mary missed her dad, her innocent questions like “Can Santa send dads as presents to school to meet their children”, always brought tears to her eyes. But what could she do? John had moved on and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Mary, did you cross the road carefully, did you look both sides of the road before you crossed? Was there someone from school with you or did you come back alone?” Margaret had been unwell and had not been able to go fetch Mary from school. Usually one of the older children who lived close by often ensured that they helped the little girl safely cross the street. Mary was such a cheerful child that there was no one who could not love her, she was always so polite and kind and ready to help someone despite being just five years old. She was a golden child who was a blessing to have, thought Margaret, but somehow she had grown beyond her years. Margaret often wondered whether it was her fault that the child had missed her childhood and grown up so quickly.

“Mommy, look how beautiful my Christmas tree looks”, shrieked Mary and Margaret woke up from her daydreaming and thought to see a gleeful Mary with her eyes shining and admiring her tree. Margaret got up and went and hugged Mary and said that her tree was the most beautiful tree in the world.

Margaret had promised Mary that she would take her to the market for Christmas so that she could buy the doll that she had been eyeing for a long time with her pocket money. Mary was all excited to be finally getting to buy the doll and see all the shops that would be so beautifully decorated for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, just as Mary and Margaret were getting ready to go to the market, Mary walked to answer the door and thought one of the neighbors had dropped in; Mary was surprised to see her dad with Robert, the little boy of Mitchell, his secretary, standing at the door. Mary flung herself and hugged her dad as the little boy looked on; he looked so small and anguished. Mary’s shout of happiness brought Margaret to the door and she was shocked to see her husband standing holding the hand of Robert and both looked lost. Mary was standing on the other side holding his hand. Before Margaret could say anything Mary dragged her father to see the Christmas tree and Robert followed. Margaret asked Mary to take Robert and give him a cookie in the kitchen while she spoke with John.

As the children walked into the kitchen, John just sat down and looked so tired and it seemed he had aged 10 years in the brief 3 years that he had been away. He held Margaret’s hands and said that he had come to seek forgiveness and wanted to come back. He explained that Mitchell had died of cancer and that Robert, who was just three years old, had no one in life except him. He accepted that he had made a mistake and was now realizing what she and Mary must have gone through when he had left. John explained that he had taken care of Mitchell during the time she went through cancer and had sold her house to have money for her treatment but couldn’t save her. Before Margaret could say anything, the kids walked back into the room and Mary asked Margaret whether they could now go to the market for the doll and whether dad was going to stay. John put his little daughter on his lap and said that he could come back only with Robert and that her mother had to agree to that. Mary looked hopefully at her mother and said it was Christmas and maybe Santa had sent Robert to her just the way he had sent her many years ago. Before her mother could say anything, Mary offered the money she had been holding to tightly for her doll and said maybe we can buy Robert a present and hang a stocking for Robert so that Santa could leave him also a present. Her eyes so full of love looked at her mother and said, “Mommy, looks like Santa couldn’t fit dad through the chimney and in my stocking so he sent him through the door.” Margaret looked at her five year old and then at the three year old Robert holding not John but Mary’s hand and with tears brimming in her own eyes, just nodded at her husband and daughter and thought maybe she needed a heart as generous as her five year old and forgave her husband in the true spirit of Christmas and hugged the little Robert and wished him a merry Christmas.