Why A Candle on Christmas Eve

For a number of years, I’ve had the personal holiday tradition of placing a lit candle in the window on Christmas Eve. I do it to light the way for the Spirit of Christmas to come into the home. This is the story behind it- retold by me. I post it again in the hopes that someone will read it and find his or her own reason to join me in the tradition. It would be something to see- all the windows of the world with a candle on Christmas Eve, no matter what the faith of the house, to light the way of such a fine Spirit to come and guest, or even to take up residence. My Christmas wish. (as Ash Maire 12/23/12)

A man trudged through a snowy, dark night, alone in the hush of the world. He had lost all- family, home, livelihood- through no fault of his own save by living in a time of war and pestilence. The cold stole through his ragged clothing, threatening to place the final slumber upon him.

Yet, he marched stubbornly through the blanketed world to what destination, he knew not. He wished only to make it through to the dawn on the darkest, longest night of the year, of his life. Not a sound could he hear through the hush. All were abed in the deep woods as he made his way through brier and bush.

As he rounded a gentle hill, he viewed a valley. Set as though a jewel upon the velvet of the night, he spied a single glow in the distance. It was cheery and warming. It called to his chilled soul and without thought, his feet turned to it as the rose will turn to the sun in Summer’s love.

The light gave his weariness relief, his half-frozen limbs strength to carry on his journey. As dawn’s rosy fingers ruffled his hair, he approached a neat little house just as an old man came out of the house. The man saw the wayfarer and called good greeting to him, inviting him into the house to rest a time.

Inside, the house was cozy and the old man’s good wife bade him to sit by the hearth for a spell as she prepared a meal to break their fast. A cup of steaming tea was pressed into his hands. Small pleasantries were exchanged. The man sat, saying little beyond hospitality’s bare demands, but he watched the old couple as they went about the early morning tasks. He observed the deep affection which bound them together as man and wife without bitterness and such was the depth of love between them that he warmed his soul by their light as much as his body’s chill was tended by the flames dancing upon the hearth.

After his belly was filled by the good wife’s hands from her cooking, he found himself tucked into a soft bed to slumber away his weariness. Upon rising, the man noted several small jobs needed doing by younger hands and set himself to them as repayment for the kindness of the couple. He noted the lack of family and hands about the place and yet they did as well as they could.

The couple invited him to stay with them for a few more days so he could regain his strength. Their stories were told in bits and pieces over the hours. The couple, too, had lost family through the sickness and war, yet found will and strength to carry on with the struggle. Instead of the pain and the anger of such loss, a true peace radiated from them in a thousand small ways.

It began to heal something inside the man and a few days turned into a few weeks, into Spring, into new life for him, for he grew in affection towards them and they him. Family they became to each other. Eventually, his heart mended almost entire and his love found him once again in a lady’s laughing eyes. Children once again filled the house and the old couple once more knew the joys of living and loving within a full kinship.

And so, I light a candle against the darkness of the night, on the eve of Yule. Light to bring a small vision of hope towards a peaceful new year, to call into my home the Spirit to dwell in joy and to give good cheer to some wayfaring stranger who may pass by on his journey. No matter how dark the night, how gloomy the day, how bitter Life can be, as long as the inner candle shines, there is always a dawn coming.

Note: In 2022, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Yule coincide. It has been a year when Light has been needed. Ukraine, Iran, on-going global Covid, severe weather. It would be something if Earth could be covered in Light.