No Christmas
“Why can’t we have Christmas, Mama?” begged little May, as she pulled her mama’s dress. Mama was very busy, and of a sudden she wiped her eyes, for a tear had come.
“Because Uncle Mark is so sick,” she answered, stooping to kiss the little face turned up so anxiously. “We cannot be glad and happy here at home when he is so very ill, can we, dear?”
“But Mama, can’t we have any tree then, and won’t there be any Santa Claus?” begged little May, her eyes almost filling with tears.
“We shall see, my darling,” answered Mama.
You may be sure these things brought no little trouble to May and her big sister Dorothy, who boasted eight years, while May only could claim four. Like all children, they looked forward with great longing to Christmas, its presents and its joys, its songs and gladness. But we must know that all is not happiness in this world. There are great sorrows, and many homes are dark even at Christmas time. So it was in the otherwise sunny and cheerful home where May and Dorothy lived.
For alas, only a few days before, their dear Uncle Mark, always so strong and happy, had come home to the city very sick. Indeed, he had gone directly to the hospital. After a very serious operation, he did not seem to get much better. The children missed his glad and cheerful ways, for Uncle Mark was young and always had been full of fun. To be sure, he would always greet them with smiles even now.
It was very sad, indeed. Poor Grandpa and Grandma had come to be with their dying son, and every day they went to the hospital to sit with him. Poor little May could not understand it all, and when she brought flowers to her dear uncle, looked with big, round eyes of wonder to see him so thin and pale.
She went away after talking with Mama and played a while. Then she came back, with a question, of course, as usual.
“Isn’t Uncle Mark going to have any Christmas either, Mama?” she asked.
Mama looked into the earnest face and said, “Perhaps, darling.”
At that moment she caught a few words of the song Dorothy was singing in the next room and said, “Would my little girls like to sing Uncle Mark a Christmas song?”
“Of course,” they both cried with one breath.
You may be sure they practiced hard and willingly to get a good song learned, and came at once whenever Mama called them.
On Christmas eve it was snowing as our two little friends came to the hospital door. They stamped the snow off their feet, shook themselves, and went in. All was bright and cheery. Some people think a hospital is a very gloomy place. But when they came in with Mama and Papa out of the dark and the snow, they thought the hospital a very cheerful and bright place. For you see, the nurses had made everything bright and beautiful. There was evergreen, and bells, and mottoes, and it looked cheerful enough to make even the most sick well.
You can hardly imagine how happy May and Dorothy were to find a beautiful Christmas tree right on the same floor where Uncle Mark’s room was, and some of the kind nurses pulled it to his door, that he might raise his head and take a look. Yes, even he caught the spirit of Christmas joy as he saw the tinsel, and the candles, the stars, the big round apples and oranges. Yes, Jesus has a Christmas blessing for the sick also. Of course our two little girls did not clap their hands or shout for glee, for they were in a hospital where little children must keep very quiet. But little May had to point out and tell about the angel figure hung in the tip-top, as tho to remind of the angels that sang over Bethlehem to the shepherds.
Poor Uncle! He was very sick and could hardly raise his head, all bandaged and covered, but he looked happy and smiled. Then he wanted May and Dorothy to sing their Christmas carol. They were just a little bit afraid at first, because it was in a strange place, but soon Dorothy picked up courage. Then May joined in with her little song. For they were glad to do something for poor Uncle Mark, you know. These were the verses they sang:
Of course, Uncle Mark thanked them very much for the song, yes, even with tears in his eyes. When they went away, he raised his head and waved a good-bye with his hand, and smiled. But when they were gone, the tears ran down his cheeks, for he never saw them again, and they never sang another song to their dear uncle.
The next day, after Christmas day, a very sad company gathered in the home of our two little friends. Uncle Mark was gone, never to return; and when it was all over, they talked together of their sorrow.
“Uncle Mark had a Christmas anyway, didn’t he?” said little May, who could not understand.
“Yes, yes, child,” said Mama.
“Wasn’t that a beautiful tree!” exclaimed Dorothy; but she should have known better than to speak. For Uncle Mark had a Christmas indeed, with Jesus in heaven, where there is no hospital, or sickness, or sorrow, but only joy and praise for evermore. And I am sure both little girls, when they came to understand, were glad that they sang him a Christmas song, even if they had no tree and no Christmas at home.