I chose to write fiction because that’s my preferred mode of writing.
A frustrated Christian Education director who has a love/hate relationship with Christmas receives an unexpected gift.
My habit as editor of the Hot Apple Cider books has been to look over the pieces I’ve selected, see if there’s an aspect of the theme that’s missing, and then write something that hopefully fills that slot.
When I looked over the stories for this book, I realized that we could use one about how our expectations for Christmas can actually lead to frustration—especially for those responsible for planning Christmas programs. And how easy it is for us to be stressed and busy but perhaps miss the heart of Christmas.
I thought about the many church programs I had participated in as a child or witnessed as the mother or grandmother of children. (I still vividly recall the year one of my granddaughters was a pig in the stable at Bethlehem. Her choice. She was three or four at the time, and pigs and flamingoes were her favourite animals. I’m pretty sure there were no flamingoes at the stable either.)
I also reflected on the years when I was a Sunday School Superintendent or Christian Education Director for several small churches, and therefore either directed or helped select the programs we had. One year, I even wrote a Christmas play for the youth pastor.
I then flashed forward to today, and how things have changed and yet, in many cases, stayed the same.
When I began to write, I put myself into the shoes (mind?) of a young woman (she told me her name was Antonia) in a small church, probably in Toronto but it could be in any place. Antonia has already become tired of the sameness of the programs she has participated in or directed over the years, and her opening sentence is in all honestly one I’ve occasionally felt like saying myself.
I decided to let the new pastor— who wasn’t her first choice—overhear her words, and then see what might happen. As it turned out, the story just flowed as if it had been hovering in my mind waiting for me to write it.
The truth is, I’ve been Antonia. I’ve been the CE director or the SS superintendent who had to make sure the programs kept going while sometimes wondering why we kept doing the same things every year and if there might be a better way. So it was fun to explore, along with Rafe and Antonia, various ways to make the Christmas celebration even more meaningful.
I hope you enjoy “The Christmas Lesson.” While the story is fiction, like most of the other stories in this book, it’s ultimately about the giving—and receiving—of gifts. And Antonia herself is both giver and recipient.
One of the things I love about Christmas with Hot Apple Cider is that it ended up being almost being a primer for how to have a meaningful Christmas. That’s why we’re encouraging people to read it now, in order to help them plan for Christmas, and then give it as a gift so others can plan for next Christmas.
N. J. Lindquist is an award-winning writer, a speaker, and an encourager. Her published work includes more than 20 books, one Christmas play (Behind the News: Report from Bethlehem), and numerous columns, articles, and short stories.
She speaks to adults and teens on various topics, including creativity, making disciples, trusting God, and leadership. She’s currently using the blog on her website to talk about things that interest her, from living with curly hair to adoption.
N. J. has taught workshops for writers in every province of Canada except Newfoundland (one of these days!) as well as in the United States. She continues to post advice for writers at www.writewithexcellence.com.
In the fall of 2007, N. J. realized that an anthology of true stories, fiction, and poetry would be a perfect way to showcase the work of Canadian writers. That led to a partnership with World Vision and the publication of the first of the Hot Apple Cider books—Hot Apple Cider: Stories to Stir the Heart and Warm the Soul—early in 2008.
Born in Saskatchewan and raised in Manitoba, N. J., together with her husband and business partner Les, lives in Markham, Ontario, close to their sons.
www.njlindquist.com
The characters and the situations are realistic. The fear felt by the main female character is real. The humour is appreciated by this reader, and I’m sure I’ve met the main male character at some point.
Having worked both as a lay person in most aspects of the Christian Education programs of churches, and as a clergy person, I can personally identify with both main characters.
There is a feeling that, although this is fiction, it is based on some real circumstances, and in the hope, on the part of the author, for more of the same. In some ways, this story, though complete in itself, sounded as if it could be the beginning of a larger one, even a series of stories that readers would be happy to follow .
Thanks for this story, N.J.I enjoyed reading it and found the characters to be realistic. I’ve also had my years of Christmas programs with school children and I could identify with Antonia’s reaction to the season.
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