Three Rights Make a Left

A Special Christmas Gift

Christmas was fast approaching, and Zach still had so much work to do. But nothing could deter him from the goal he had set out to achieve. Not THIS Christmas.

After Thanksgiving, as soon as classes let out for the day, Zach would rush home through the forest in back of their house into the little clearing with a tree house that had seen so many good times between him and his little sister Gracie. The previous year, Christmas had been a very sad affair indeed. This year would be different.

A year and a half earlier, their mom had contracted Covid in June and was in the hospital, much of the time in intensive care. She rallied a couple of times, and there even seemed to be a little hope. But she was still in the hospital all through the holidays.

Christmas Eve had always been a joyous affair in their family. Zach’s favorite part was snuggling up to their mother with Gracie on her lap as she read Christmas stories to them in her soft red velvet robe as their father tended to the fireplace. The two siblings knew they were blessed beyond measure to have parents who loved them and each other so much.

Christmas Eve of 2021, their dad decided to make the best of Christmas Eve by arranging for a rare visit to see their mom from outside her quarantined room at the hospital. Mom smiled through her struggled breathing as it was dad who wore mom’s red robe so Gracie and Zach could feel their mother’s touch and smell her familiar scent. He read a Christmas story as mom beamed at them through the glass. She managed to tell all three of them how much she loved them and said goodbye. It would be the last time they would see their mom this side of heaven.

Zach was only 16 years old, but he was smart, kind, and resourceful. He had planned for almost a year to give his little sister the best 2022 Christmas possible. He spent the summer mowing lawns to make money. He went to garage sales and bought lights and Christmas decorations. When word got around about what he was planning, friends in his neighborhood started giving decorations to Zach.

He became aware of the problem of storing all of the decorations he had collected. The solution came from his neighbor, a block away. Mr. Kind had finally mustered up the courage to downsize after the passing of his wife a year earlier, and he was having a garage sale. Zach assembled a huge stack of decorations on his driveway and asked Mr. Kind, “How much?” Mr. Kind said, “Zach, I hate raking leaves. If you will promise to rake my leaves this fall, I will give you all of the Christmas decorations I have for sale.” Zach readily agreed.

Then Mr. Kind asked, “Where are you putting all of these decorations Zach?” With a look of puzzlement Zach said, “I’m not really sure.”

“I think I have a solution,” Mr. Kind said. “My wife’s 1965 candy apple red mustang is sitting in my garage, and I don’t have the heart to sell it. I have a big tarp I can put over it until Christmas if you want to store decorations in the garage.” Zach looked his friend in the eyes and said, “Thank you Mr. Kind.” And with that, the center of phase one of his plan became Mr. Kind’s garage.

When fall came, Zach dutifully took the better part of a Saturday raking leaves at Mr. Kind’s big house and even bigger yard. After that he started phase two of his plan.

Zach had watched You-Tube videos to solve the problem of getting electricity to the clearing. He was at another garage sale when he spotted a big spool of number 10 wire and a large box of electrical supplies. When he asked his neighbor how much they were, knowing the value was in the thousands, his neighbor asked, “Is it for your Christmas project?” Zach nodded yes and his neighbor said, “Then if you’d let me, I’d like to donate it to the cause.”

At the first of December, Zach started making regular trips with his dad’s pickup between Mr. Kind’s garage and the clearing. He worked tirelessly anytime he wasn’t in school or church, but he wasn’t alone. Friends were eager to pitch in and help, often paying for things that were needed with their own money.

Finally, Christmas Eve arrived. Zach had planned for it to be an intimate affair with his father and sister. Dad had an idea something big was afoot, but he had no inkling about the scale. Gracie had no idea what was in store.

After hours of anticipation, it was finally dark enough on Christmas Eve to enact phase three of Zach’s plan. He casually told his dad and Gracie, “I have something to show you.”

“Is it Santa Clause?” Gracie asked with enthusiasm.

“I think it will be even better,” Zach said.

Zach grabbed a flashlight and led the trio to the clearing. He shined the light on a circuit breaker box on a tree, grabbed the handle on the side and what happened next was nothing short of magic. The entire clearing lit up with the most beautiful assortment of pieced together lights and decorations you had ever seen. Even the treehouse was lit up like a Griswold house. Zach watched as his sister’s mouth flew open with delight and surprise as she clutched her face in her hands as she was held in her daddy’s arms. Dad’s face beamed too as he looked from his daughter then to his son. Then his attention drew to the center of the clearing as a flame erupted. Zach and Gracie turned to look at what their dad had seen, and the three of them saw a huge bonfire blaze up. Beside the fire they saw a familiar face, Mr. Kind. Then people started coming out of the woods, surrounding the bonfire and filling the clearing. Their number soon swelled into the hundreds. Neighbors and church members who had snuck in with Mr. Kind and made the bonfire a surprise of their own for the little family who had suffered such loss.

Everyone broke out into Christmas Carols and sang with a joy you can only feel at the end of a long grief. None of this was in Zach’s plan, but he loved it. It was even better than he could have planned.

After a lot of singing, Zach decided it was time for the final phase of his plan. He got the attention of the crowd, then turned to his dad and asked, “Would you read us a Christmas story?” His dad readily agreed and sat down on a log by the fire with their friends all around.

Zach said, “I’ll be right back.” He ran to the tree house, climbed the ladder, and soon returned with huge gift bag. He sat down beside his dad and handed the bag to his sister as he said, “Merry Christmas Gracie.”

His sister pulled the tissue paper out of the bag and pulled out a big teddy bear that had been something of a project by the sewing circle at church. It was made out of their mother’s red velvet robe. Gracie hugged the bear as tears ran down the features of her beautiful, down syndrome face. Zach cried, Dad cried, and so did every eye in the clearing. Tears of joy.

After a few moments, Dad started telling a Christmas story, though none could match the one they were living. Zach, and even Dad, couldn’t resist nuzzling the red velvet bear and taking in the scent of their mother that still clung to it. You could have heard a pin drop in the clearing as Dad told the story.

When it was over, there were a lot of hugs all around. It was broken up by the voice of Mr. Kind, who got everyone’s attention.

“I have one more surprise,” Mr. Kind said.

And with that, the crowd parted, and all attention was focused on the edge of the clearing at something that seemed quite out of place. There in the clearing was Mrs. Kind’s Mustang. Zach’s first thought was, “How did Mr. Kind drive it here into the clearing?”

Mr. Kind continued, “Zach you have the kindest heart of any kid I have ever met. My wife and I would be honored for you to accept her candy apple red mustang convertible for Christmas.” Zach was speechless and could only nod “yes”.

Merry Christmas everyone. Please remember those who have suffered great loss over the last couple of years.