By Jennifer Knight

My favorite aspect of the entire Christmas season comes down to one single moment lasting only a few minutes. In this short time, I feel connected to my friends and family surrounding me, but most of all I feel a connection to the one whom we are celebrating.

This moment begins when the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season begins to wind down. I get to dress my three children in their Christmas best and join with many others for Christmas Eve service. In most churches, the service always ends with the song Silent Night. In my last church in Texas, when we got to this part of the service, it became mystical.

The room gets quiet, the lights dim. We each hold a candle and we pass the dancing flame from one to another. The children hold plastic battery lit candles. The room glows by the light of the candles and we begin to sing Silent Night. The architectural beauty of the church building surrounds me. The Italian marble and angel adorned opalescent stained glass dome are just a few of the magnificent features of this church’s sanctuary. The stained glass windows have darkened with the night. Then I look to the beautiful window to my left. It shines, lit from the outside, the picture of the nativity. In that moment it is as if I can see back through time and experience the splendor of the manger scene. I can imagine young Mary holding her precious baby, the coolness of the air, and the animals rustling beside her.

When I ask my children what this moment means for them, my seven year-old daughter says, “It helps me remember what Christmas is all about.” My son tells me, “I just love to sing the songs.” And my littlest just smiles.