Each day, Lieutenant Jacob Andrews relived the memories of the ambush. He lost three men that day. Another five he managed to pull out of the building and carry to safety under heavy fire. For that he was labeled a hero. Those men were now home with their families preparing for Christmas. But not Lieutenant Andrews. His tour had been extended until after the New Year. He would be spending another Christmas in Afghanistan.
His boy Ryan was 8 now. His daughter Lucy had just turned 6. He hadn’t seen them since the 4th of July. They had both written him letters for Christmas. They knew he wasn’t going to be home and were saddened by the news, but despite their young age they understood. He was a hero and he had to be there to save peoples’ lives. Ryan even called him his life size GI Joe. It was these letters that helped get him through this tour. Jacob received a lot of letters. Many were from the folks in his community who had heard about his heroic acts and considered him a local icon. Others were from the men he saved and their families. Those were the ones that really helped him justify his being there. While his children missed him dearly, they at least knew he would be coming home. He couldn’t imagine the pain those men’s children would have felt knowing their dads would never return.
Christmas Day was rather uneventful. Between patrols the men would gather in the base to watch Christmas movies. Jacob managed to catch parts of a Christmas Story and it’s a Wonderful Life. A couple times throughout the day a Minister would also hold Christmas prayer services for the men. There was something special about watching men from all denominations partake in the same service. Jacob was grateful when the day was finally over. He loved Christmas more than any time of year, but this year it just reminded him all the more of what he was missing. The neighborhood Christmas light contents; the annual Christmas party at town hall; seeing the joy in his children’s eyes as they opened their presents. It just wasn’t the same.
The next few weeks dragged on, but finally January 8th arrived and it was time to return home. His plane landed late, so his wife Julia picked him up at the airport while the sitter watched the kids. As they proceeded through town he was surprised to see how many houses still had their Christmas lights on. He was impressed when he arrived home and saw what a great job Julia had done with their decorations. She confessed that her brother and father had helped. The kids were in bed by the time they got home, and Jacob was exhausted. He peaked in their rooms to catch a glimpse, but didn’t want to disturb them. He would reunite with them in the morning.
The next morning, Jacob awoke to the commotion of two children jumping on the bed.
“Daddy, Daddy wake up!” They shouted. “We missed you.”
Jacob’s eyes lit up as he wrapped his arms around both of his cherubs and rolled around the bed, nearly knocking Julia off.
“Daddy get up!” Lucy pleaded. “Santa came. It’s time to open presents.”
“Santa,” exclaimed Jacob, now perplexed. “Santa only comes on Christmas Eve.”
“Not this year Daddy,” explained Ryan. “Lucy and I wrote him a letter. We asked if he could postpone our Christmas until you got back. We figured it would be easier for him since it was one less house he had to stop at on Christmas Eve. And he did it. He got our letter.”
Jacob was shocked. As Ryan and Lucy raced downstairs to the Christmas tree, Jacob followed close behind with all the excitement of a 6 year old. They were right. There were stacks and stacks of presents surrounding the tree, and the stockings were overflowing.
Julia approached him from behind and threw her arms around him. “Merry Christmas Honey,” she whispered.
It was more than he could have ever asked for. He and Julia watched in suspense as Ryan and Lucy tore open present after present and paraded their findings around the room with childlike glee. Finally all of the gifts were revealed, including a pair of bedazzled picture frames, courtesy of his two children.
“Would you look at the time,” exclaimed Julia as she looked up at the clock. “We best be getting ready. We have a party to go to.”
“A party,” replied Jacob. “What party?”
“You’ll see.” She replied.
An hour later they pulled up to the Town Hall. There was a large banner hanging from the entry way. “Welcome Home Lieutenant Andrews, and Merry Christmas” It read.
Jacob was astounded. Most of the town had shown up to welcome home their hero. Everyone was decked in their holiday best, singing Christmas carols and enjoying a Christmas buffet. It was their annual Christmas party. They had held off holding it until their most distinguished citizen had arrived home. There were also a few other special guests. Three of the men he had rescued had flown in with their families to see him. Their children ran up to him and gave him hugs. “Thank you for getting my Daddy home safely,” one of the little girls cried. Jacob choked up.
The party lasted into the early evening, at which time the mayor took the stage and announced that the Christmas light contest would begin. The lights went dark and a video was broadcast on the wall, as a cameraman drove through the town capturing Christmas light displays. The crowd ooed and ahhed over each house, but when the camera’s finally reached Jacob and Julia’s house the crowd went wild.
“It appears we have winner,” the mayor announced. “The winner of this year’s Christmas Light display is none other than Lieutenant Jacob Andrews and his wide Julia.” The crowd erupted once more in applause.
Jacob was stunned and humbled by the outpouring of support from the community. He graciously thanked the crowd for the award and went back to embrace his family. As the lights dimmed once more for the traditional candlelight singing of Silent Night, Jacob wrapped his arms around his family once more and held them close. He came to realize that day that Christmas was more than just a day on the calendar. It was a celebration of faith, family, love, and community. It didn’t matter whether it was December 25th or January 9th—the spirit of the holiday remained the same. He didn’t miss Christmas after all. In fact, it was by far his best Christmas ever.