The following is but a part of one chapter from the novella that I wrote over twenty years ago that I simply titled....Isaac Crockett. You can read it if you want at the link to the left. I'll leave this post up for a day or so as Christmas nears. To set the scene....Anne was the one who originally looked nominally upon God....while Isaac lived in awe at His majesty....but here Anne.....as they were Christmas shopping....was overwhelmed at the birth of Christ....while Isaac was more concerned with the history of Philadelphia....but he was about to get maybe his best Christmas gift ever....
CHAPTER TWENTY
Anne and Isaac had spent the day in Philadelphia. It was two weeks until Christmas and the first snowfall of the year had graced much of Penn's Woods, more commonly known as Pennsylvania. The plan for the day was to meet at Independence Hall, have lunch and then shop until they dropped. Anne didn't need a tour guide of Philly but Isaac served as one anyway commenting in detail on the development of our Constitution and most of those involved in it, also commenting on the faith, lack of faith, deism, Masonry and outright atheism of those to who it pertained. They stopped to take a picture of a statue honoring the Marquis de Lafayette complete with Isaac's commentary on the differences between the American and French revolutions.
"Isaac?"
"Yes Anne?"
"Is it Christmas coming up....or the Fourth of July?"
"Sorry Anne. I get carried away in places like Philadelphia, Boston, Gettysburg....you remember Gettysburg don't you?" (they had met for only the second time at a service area on the Pennsylvania Turnpike....both forced to hole up during a rainstorm....as Isaac was going home after one of his visits to Gettysburg)
"Tooooche' my love. The Civil War brought us together."
Isaac's opinion of Christmas was more Puritan than Continental. He disliked the merchandising that put people in debt, worried about the children who thought only about gifts, and dreaded the pagan influence, but was not about to bring these things up.
"Is Christmastime a special time of the year for you Isaac?"
Well, so much for ignoring the issues.
"Anne, I hope to celebrate Christmas and enjoy it as much as I can and certainly hope that I can make it a special time for you...but my heart isn't really into Christmas. I do enjoy the Bing Crosby and Andy Williams type of Christmas songs and I really love the Christmas carols, some of which are nothing short of majestic. I love the snow and getting bundled up and sitting by the fire wondering what chestnuts taste like. I like building snowmen and having snowball fights...so much so that..."
Isaac bent over and started making a snowball, and then another...and another...
Anne figured out what he was about to do and started running while Isaac lobbed the snowballs at her. He caught up to her, turned her around and held her close.
"But you know what I love most about this time of year?"
Anne thought that a romantic comment was coming.
"What would that be?"
"I love it that I have never heard the word or seen a...snowwoman. It must drive the feminists
crazy!"
Anne wrinkled up her nose and Isaac did indeed then get serious.
"Anne, I hope that you're not disappointed. I'm not a Scrooge...I promise. Every time that I see a manger scene the holiday comes back into focus. Handel's Messiah must be the most beautiful oratorio ever composed. I can't promise you Santa but I can promise you Angels We Have Heard On High."
"Oh Isaac, I'm not disappointed....but this Christmas is most special to me."
Isaac thought it was Anne's turn for a romantic comment but she looked up to the sky with an angelic smile on her face and said.....
"Can you imagine what it would have been like with all those angels singing? Can you imagine how beautiful their voices must have been. I'm sure that the shepherds must have been frozen with awe! The snow must have been the whitest that it has ever been...and the sky the clearest when Jesus breathed his first breath...the Son of God come down to us...all the earth must have stood still at that moment...even the animals near the baby must have been blessed!"
As Anne's eyes were still looking up to the heavens, Isaac was reminded of how his Dad had described to him her burgeoning faith. They walked on in silence, hand in hand.
