Inspiration Words: Sneakers and M&M’s
Ashley hurried into class on Tuesday, December 1st. Several students were already at their desks listening to music or extra English exercises, but the students started putting away their headphones when Ashley wished everyone good morning. Sunny and Candy smiled and returned the greeting. Several other students didn’t lift their heads from their desks. As students drifted into the classroom, Ashley took out the textbook and began writing some vocabulary words on one side of the chalkboard.
She kept her coat on, and most of the students did as well. The air was chilly and damp. The floors of the building were slick with water, even though it hadn’t rained last night—benefits of living in a tropical environment where humidity made the tile floors and walls drip with condensation. Ashley walked over to a few students and began asking them about their weekend.
“I just stayed in my dormitory and slept all weekend,” Candy giggled as she answered the question.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to go out, but yesterday, I went to the library to study,” Sunny answered.
“Wow, sounds like a relaxing weekend!” Ashley smiled at the two girls.
The bell rang, and Ashley returned to the front of the class. “Good morning, everyone! And happy December!”
“Good morning,” the students replied. This class was full of energy, and Ashley enjoyed interacting with them. Even though she wasn’t an experienced teacher, the students always responded well to her lessons, and she looked forward to this particular class each week.
After class, Ashley walked carefully out of the building. The floors were still slippery, and the last thing she wanted was to land on her backside in front of all of her students. She wouldn’t be able to live that down if that happened.
December 1st. Christmas is 25 days away. The midday sun had chased away some of the morning chill, and Ashley took off the scarf and stuffed it into her teaching bag. Twenty-five days till Christmas, and there’s not a speck of the season anywhere around here.
According to tradition, Ashley and her American colleague had put up a Christmas tree with a few friends. They played Christmas music, forced the students to watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and drank hot chocolate with the air conditioning on. The weather jumped back and forth between cold, hot, and wet so often that Ashley had a hard time figuring out what to wear, let alone what holiday feelings she was supposed to have.
She wanted to feel more in the holiday spirit, but the school buildings didn’t have any Christmas decorations, and the only time she heard Christmas music was in the supermarket, where they played a children’s version of “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” On repeat. After about five minutes of grocery shopping, Ashley could never stand it and usually put in headphones to instead listen to some Chris Tomlin songs.
If only I had some M&M’s. Ashley thought back to Christmas in America. She thought of the chilly days in Pennsylvania. She thought of ice skating and cute hats and warm coats. And she thought about the bowl of M&M’s that her mom always kept on the kitchen table throughout the month of December. These M&M’s were the one treat they never had to ask permission to eat. Every morning, the bowl was always full—magically refilled from yesterday’s snacking. Ashley and her brothers had theories about how many M&M’s their parents would eat after they went to bed, but the most important thing was that there was always plenty for everyone. Ashley and her brothers used to sit around the table eating M&M’s and talking about what they thought their parents might get them for Christmas that year.
But Ashley hadn’t been able to find any M&M’s on the school campus. There were some in town, but she hadn’t had the chance to make the hour-long journey yet, so December was passing slowly, like any other month—without M&M’s. Ashley tried to overlook the tacky Santa Claus stickers in the restaurant windows that only served to remind her that Christmas in China looked nothing like Christmas in America. Instead, she created her own Christmas environment at home at the end of the day, turning off all the lights but the twinkling lights on her Christmas tree, and one lone lamp on her coffee table Then, she would sit under the warm glow of the lamp with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate, leftover from the Christmas decorating party. Christmas was about Jesus’ birth, of course, and Ashley tried to focus on that, but she still missed the beautiful neighborhoods with houses covered in Christmas lights and the holiday spirit glimmering in the shops in America.
Several days before Christmas, Ashley had finally finished her Christmas shopping and was trying to get ahead on her lesson plans so she could enjoy the one-day holiday the school gave her. She was excited to celebrate Christmas with a group of American friends who lived in the city. They planned to exchange gifts and cook together, just like they had for Thanksgiving. It wasn’t quite the same as being in America with her family, but after all of her adventures with these people, they were starting to feel like family. Only a couple more days until Christmas Eve! Then, she could indulge in all things Christmas until she had to come back to school. She was already planning on staying as late as possible on Christmas Day so she wouldn’t miss any of the festivities.
Ashley’s phone buzzed, jerking her back to the present from her Christmas fantasies, and she checked the message: Dear Ashly, we look forward to your attendance at a Christmas party the school will hold on December 25th. There will be a performance, and we hope you will be able to sing a song.
Ashley stared in shock at the message. She barely noticed that they had misspelled her name because she was so stunned they would expect her to attend a performance on Christmas Day. Maybe they were just trying to include her in their Christmas celebrations, but Ashley had no desire to go to a Christmas performance where she would feel more like a display piece than an honored member. Besides, that meant she would have to give up celebrating Christmas with her friends in order to perform. And she would much rather spend Christmas Day actually celebrating Christmas, instead of attending a Chinese talent show masquerading as a Christmas party. No. Absolutely not. She was not giving up the one day she’d been looking forward to all month.
Ashley wanted to throw her phone across the room, but she managed to remember that Jesus wanted her to love these people, and their unawareness about her personal holidays and traditions shouldn’t drive her to anger. She set the phone on her desk and walked into the living room to look at the Christmas tree. After praying about how to respond, Ashley picked up her phone again and typed a reply. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it on the 25th because that is Christmas Day. If you change the performance to December 23rd or 26th, I will be able to join.
Ashley’s next thought was to choose a Christmas song she would sing, in case she was required to perform and give up her holiday. She didn’t mind singing, as long as the performance wasn’t on Christmas Day, but what could she sing that would be beautiful and still communicate the truth that she loved about Christmas? Definitely not Jingle Bells. Maybe something like “O Holy Night.” Her phone buzzed again, with the school confirming that the performance would be held on December 23rd. In two days.
On the night of the performance, Ashley walked into the small auditorium, and her students ushered her and her colleague to some seats in the center. They waved at some students they recognized further down the row. Moments later, the performance began. Even though the performance was called a Christmas concert, the stage decorations were mostly pink and silver balloons with various colored lights that flashed up and down the stage. The songs were a variety of pop songs chosen by students. A group of girls performed a dance in black shirts and pants; black sneakers completed the look. The heavy beat tried to make Ashley forget it was Christmas, but she refused to forget.
After half a dozen singers, two more dances, and a couple of comedic skits Ashley didn’t really understand, because they were completely in Chinese, a couple of students came to where Ashley was sitting and told her she should go backstage to get ready. Her colleague followed with a folder of the piano music, and when it was their turn, someone pushed a grand piano onto the stage. Ashley walked out to the center of the stage with a microphone in her hand. The auditorium erupted into welcoming applause, and she smiled at her students while the familiar opening chords echoed throughout the auditorium. The whispering stopped, and Ashley saw dozens of students recording with their phones as she began singing. “O holy night, the stars are brightly shining . . .”
By the time she got to the chorus, students had turned on the flashlights on their phones and began waving them in the air in time with the music. She closed her eyes and felt Christmas entering into a small part of campus. She couldn’t bring all the lights and cold weather to this tropical climate, but she could bring a small piece of Christmas into this performance right now. She closed her eyes, blocking out the garish balloons and flashing lights—everything except for the piano and her own voice. “Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices, O night divine, O night, when Christ was born . . .” Ashley sang the words, reminding herself that the most important part of Christmas was having the chance to share God’s love with these students that she loved so much. Truly, He taught us to love one another. His law is love, and His gospel is peace. That’s why He came that holy night. To share His love with others. M&M’s and Christmas decorations and the beauty of the Christmas season all paled in comparison with this truth, and Ashley focused all of her energy on those words as the song finished.