Sydney Jane And The “Not Fair” Christmas (For Children)ናሙና

The Unfair Christmas

“They’re here! They’re here! An-n-n-n-n-d—it’s Christmas!” Connor and Gracie jumped up and down—barely missing Sydney’s head.

Rubbing her eyes, she squinted at the clock—7 AM. Sydney yawned and pulled the covers to her chin. “Just five more min—” She bolted up. “Wait! Connor? Gracie? Who’s here?”

Connor stopped jumping, and Gracie followed his lead. “Mommy! And Daddy! And the new baby!”

Her Aunt Jane was home! Sydney threw the covers off and ran down the stairs.

On the couch in front of the tree—sat her Aunt Jane and Uncle Douglas. Sydney held their new baby—her cousin. That baby was why she and her mom had to go on a road trip so G-Honey wouldn’t be alone. Aunt Jane was her caretaker. The baby was why Sydney had to share a room with her cousins; they were all together at Christmas.

Aunt Jane smiled. “Come on over, Syd! Meet your cousin—James Alexander.”

Sydney leaned in. His eyes were closed, and his hands made fists framing his face. Black tufts of hair crowned his tiny head.

“Would you like to hold him?” her aunt asked.

Sydney nodded and took a seat next to Aunt Jane. James squirmed for a moment with the transfer, but soon he settled back into the same position. Sydney delicately smoothed his soft fuzzy hair.

James grabbed her fingers—latching onto her pinky.

“I would have missed this,” Sydney whispered.

“What’s that, Syd?” Aunt Jane asked.

“I would have missed this perfect moment. My unfair Christmas is turning out to be pretty wonderful after all.”

Her mom cradled her coffee mug in the doorway. “Yep, Syd. You’re right. And I’m sure when Mary held Jesus for the first time, all those unfair moments slipped away, too.”

QUESTIONS:

1. Have you ever thrown a fit and then felt bad when you realized that you were missing out by being selfish?

2. Do you think Mary was thinking about how unfair her life was while holding Jesus?

3. What can you do today to thank God for being faithful even when life is still hard?

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for gifting us with Jesus. He was born in an unfair way in unfair circumstances, but You had a plan. Help me to know that even when life seems unfair, You are working. Amen.

Photos by Shche Team, Filip Zrnzević , Tim Mossholder, Morgane Le Breton, and Garrett Jackson on Unsplash. Used with permission.

This five-day plan was written by Patty Parker—a student, writer, and mom of three—and it’s brought to you by Aspire Productions (www.aspire2.com).