December 2004 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
December 2004 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
December 2004 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
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ILLUSTRATED BY DANIEL LEWIS<br />
<strong>Christ</strong>mas Eve Breakfast<br />
By Toni Hakes<br />
About 18 years ago on <strong>Christ</strong>mas<br />
Eve, I was a young mother very<br />
painfully aware <strong>of</strong> the wide gap<br />
between my household reality and<br />
what I thought the ideal <strong>Christ</strong>mas<br />
looked like—the ideal <strong>Christ</strong>mas as<br />
portrayed on television and in magazines,<br />
the <strong>Christ</strong>mas <strong>of</strong> beautiful<br />
decor, exquisite meals,<br />
and happy, smiling children.<br />
I had tried hard<br />
to finish wrapping and<br />
cleaning, all the while<br />
attempting to achieve<br />
some order and peace<br />
in my home as I cared<br />
for my three little sons,<br />
one <strong>of</strong> whom was a<br />
very cranky baby. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
was a heavy feeling<br />
weighing me down<br />
that night—I was<br />
overwhelmed.<br />
It was starting to get<br />
dark. I had the baby in<br />
the highchair, trying to<br />
feed him and get him settled.<br />
Dinnertime was fast<br />
approaching, and there was<br />
no candlelit table, no warm<br />
feast, nothing ready on the<br />
stove. Just then my husband,<br />
who had been out doing<br />
some last-minute shopping,<br />
walked into the kitchen and<br />
Iwas overwhelmed<br />
and<br />
tired. <strong>The</strong>n my<br />
husband walked<br />
into the kitchen<br />
with a bag <strong>of</strong><br />
pancake mix,<br />
some frozen<br />
orange juice,<br />
and a package<br />
<strong>of</strong> sausage.<br />
LATTER-DAY SAINT VOICES<br />
placed on the counter a bag <strong>of</strong> pancake<br />
mix, some frozen orange juice, and a<br />
package <strong>of</strong> sausage. In his own way, he<br />
was telling me that he knew I was at<br />
the end <strong>of</strong> my rope and, if worse came<br />
to worst, he was prepared to make our<br />
<strong>Christ</strong>mas Eve dinner.<br />
And so that <strong>Christ</strong>mas Eve, our<br />
family shared breakfast. I<br />
don’t remember how it<br />
tasted, but I remember how<br />
it felt to be loved and understood.<br />
From then on, breakfast<br />
has always been our<br />
<strong>Christ</strong>mas Eve fare. Our children probably<br />
don’t completely understand its<br />
significance to me; nevertheless,<br />
breakfast has become our tradition.<br />
<strong>The</strong> small act <strong>of</strong> service my<br />
husband performed for me that<br />
<strong>Christ</strong>mas Eve so long ago may seem<br />
insignificant, but it taught me that<br />
through small and thoughtful acts in<br />
the midst <strong>of</strong> the mundane, our lives<br />
can be changed. Through our own<br />
and others’ selfless service, the Spirit<br />
can work in our hearts and <strong>Christ</strong> can<br />
enter our lives, which is what this<br />
season is all about. Perhaps decor<br />
sets the stage, but love and service<br />
are at the very heart <strong>of</strong> <strong>Christ</strong>mas. ■<br />
Toni Hakes is a member <strong>of</strong> the Willow<br />
Canyon Eighth Ward, Sandy Utah East Stake.
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