Carl and Catherine's First Christmas Together

Carl and Catherine stood outside the store window. The Christmas display was mesmerizing. The twinkling lights and the bright red, green, gold, and blue ornaments sparkled such that Carl and Catherine couldn't take their eyes off them. "Someday, our Christmas decorations will look like this," Catherine sighed.

"Someday," Carl agreed, "but we don't need fancy decorations to have a great Christmas, you know."

"I know, but still, it would be nice someday." Catherine thought of their tiny little tree back at their apartment. It was their first Christmas together.  Carl and Catherine grew up in a small town in Georgia. Carl joined the United States Marines at the age of 19. He and Catherine met at church the weekend he graduated from Basic Training. They had attended the same church for months but had not crossed paths until then. Catherine told Carl it was the uniform that caught her attention, but Carl knew she was teasing. The two of them hit it off right away. They were married a year later in the same church where they had met. Shortly after they were married, the Marines sent them deep into the Arizona desert. Carl and Catherine didn't expect a change in duty stations so soon, but they quickly learned that military families must always be ready for sudden life changes.

Now they stood 2000 miles from home, far from everything they had ever known and everyone they loved. They had little time to prepare for the move, and they couldn't go home for Christmas because Carl couldn't take leave. Even if he could, they couldn't afford the trip back. They had a cute little apartment with a pretty little tree decorated with vintage-style wooden ornaments and two gifts underneath, one for Carl and one for Catherine. They hadn't yet had time to make friends, but they had each other, and that was enough. Still, they missed home and family. They missed their parents and grandparents' houses, all decorated inside and out. Their Christmas trees were tall and grand, decorated with as many ornaments as they could fit. Every tree towered over stacks of packages, all waiting to be opened by Carl's and Catherine's large families. They missed the noise, the laughter, the singing, the music. They missed all of it.

Carl checked his watch. The store would be closing shortly, and with no gift list this year, they tore their eyes away from the grand display before them and headed down the walkway toward the park. "It seems weird that it's only a few days until Christmas, but it's 78 degrees," Catherine removed her cardigan sweater and draped it over her arm as they walked. "I don't know why I wore my sweater. Habit, I guess."  

Carl agreed that the warm weather made it seem less like Christmas. "The weather forecast for Christmas Day is full sun and 82 degrees."

"Well, we'll just have to make the best of it." Catherine had no idea how they would make the best of it. She missed her family, her hometown, tall trees, and green grass. She didn't particularly like cold weather but wished the temperatures would drop by Christmas Day to seem a little more like Christmas. The life changes she and Carl had to make so suddenly hadn't given them time to adjust.

Carl and Catherine continued down the path toward the park, where a large Christmas tree was all lit up. When they arrived, the tree was as spectacular as she imagined and much taller than the one in the store window. She looked around the park at all the Christmas festivities. Families had gathered near a fire pit where they supervised their children roasting marshmallows with long wire rod-type things. On the other side of the park was an embankment covered in fake snow blown on by a snow machine. Children were sliding down the embankment using large trash can lids as sleds. "I guess real sleds are hard to come by out here in the desert," Carl giggled.

Catherine thought of the mountains back home, more like rolling hills compared to the mountains in the western United States, but those Great Smoky Mountain hills were beautiful. She thought of the snow ski resorts she used to visit with her family. Sections of the mountains were cleared for snow skiing, but as she skied down the mountain, she could look to her left and to her right to admire the tall pine trees. The mountains in southern Arizona were covered with nothing but dirt and rocks. Catherine sighed as she realized that the walk she and Carl had decided to take that afternoon was leaving her more homesick than ever. "Let's go back to our apartment, Carl. I'll heat some leftovers for dinner, and we can watch a Christmas movie."

"OK, "Carl turned toward the concession stand, "but let's grab a cup of hot cocoa first."

"Carl, it's way too warm for hot cocoa. I don't see how those kids over there can stand being so close to the fire. It's way too warm for a fire." Catherine felt terrible for complaining. At least the families at the park enjoyed activities that made it seem like Christmas. Catherine realized that this WAS Christmas for them. It's their way of life, and they enjoy every second of it. She sighed again. "OK, hot cocoa it is. I want extra marshmallows in mine!"

Carl and Catherine turned away from the hot cocoa stand with their cups in hand, both overflowing with whipped cream. Catherin's cup had extra marshmallows underneath the whipped topping, just as she had requested. She blew on the top of the cup and took a sip. "Oh, this is good stuff!"

Carl smiled as he dabbed whipped cream off the top of Catherine's lips. They both laughed. "You know, Catherine. Christmas is what we make it. It's OK to miss home and family, but we must remember that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, nothing else. All the rest is awesome, but if we focus on Jesus, our perspective will be much better, and Christmas will be great."

Catherine knew Carl was right. She married a United States Marine, and God was the head of their marriage. If the Corps had sent them to the desert where there were no trees, little grass, fake snow, no family, and it was blazing hot on Christmas Day, then they were exactly where they were supposed to be. Catherine silently asked God to reveal to them the reason they were there other than military orders.

Carl and Catherine turned a corner back toward the store where they had stood earlier on their walk to the park. The manager was closing the store for the night, but he had left the Christmas tree display all lit up. They stopped to look again, but only briefly. Something moving around the other side of the store, not far past the window, caught Carl's attention. He stepped between Catherine and whatever the movement was. He heard a shuffling sound, like someone placing a newspaper on the table. "Catherine, stay here and let me see what that's all about."

Catherine felt uneasy as she reached for Carl's cup of hot cocoa. It was still half full. "Be careful, Carl."

Carl made sure Catherine had a good grip on his cup, and then he stepped over and peaked into a tiny alleyway on the other side of the window. He saw a man lying on the concrete with wadded-up newspaper as his pillow. The man looked up at Carl. "Ah. I'm sorry. Am I in your way, Sir?"

Carl answered his question. "No, no, you're not in my way. I was just checking . . . "

The man crunched up his paper like he was fluffing a pillow. "I know. You wanted to make sure the walkway was safe for you and the misses." 

"No, I um, no," Carl decided it was best to be honest. "Well, yes, Sir."

The man sat up and stashed the paper behind him to cushion his back against the brick wall. "It's OK. I get this all the time."

Carl wasn't sure what to say or do. "Do you live here between these walls?"

The man's eyes were saddened. "I do now, but I didn't always live here." Not too many years ago, I was just like you. I was a Marine and a good one. I did a tour in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. That's where I got this scar." The man showed Carl a scar on his upper shoulder, a bad burn.  

Carl motioned to Catherine to let her know it was safe for her to join him. As she stepped near Carl, he reached for his hot cocoa cup. He immediately felt guilty because the man looked like he hadn't had a good meal or a shower lately, let alone a good cup of hot cocoa.  

Catherine caught Carl's eyes and realized she hadn't taken but two sips of her own. "Sir, you are welcome to mine if you want it. I understand if you don't because I sipped it twice." She smiled at Carl. "It's too warm out here for me anyway."

The man nodded. "Thank you, Ma'am. If you aren't going to drink it, that is."

Catherine assured the man she didn't want it. He took the cup and turned back to Carl. "A few years after Iraq, they sent me to Afghanistan. That's where I lost my right leg."

Carl hadn't noticed the man's missing leg from just above the knee. "I'm so sorry, Sir. Thank you for your service." Carl tried hard to swallow the lump in his throat.  

The weight of guilt layering on Catherine's shoulders was getting heavier and heavier as the man spoke. Just moments ago, she had been complaining about how their sudden life change had brought them to a strange place right before Christmas and how nothing about their new environment felt right for the season. She had complained about it being too warm for hot cocoa, but this man was grateful for it.

Carl cleared his throat. "Sir? I don't think you should stay out here. It's warm enough, but I don't think it's safe."  

The man shrugged. "Ah, I'll be OK. I know your misses doesn't need me in your home, and well, I'm just not up to going down to Veteran's Affairs." The man looked confused, as if he didn't know what to do, but seeing Carl made him feel ashamed for turning to alcohol to cope with his military experiences overseas. He hoped Carl didn't end up like him someday.

Carl explained. "Well, Sir. There is a family in our church who takes in . . . um . . . homeless veterans. They'll feed you and wash your clothes while you shower. They'll want to talk to you for a little bit, and then they'll probably let you stay with them. They'll work with you to help you get back on your feet. My wife and I can take you there if you would like to give it a chance."

Carl noticed the man's eyes narrow. "Did you say a family from your church?"

Carl answered. "Yes, Sir. I did."

"I don't know about that. I believe in God but don't know if He cares anything about what's happening here. This old world is a touchy place. You'll see that soon enough, son." The man hoped Carl didn't mind calling him "son."  

Carl didn't want to miss this opportunity to tell this man how much God loves him. "Well, sir, He does care about what's going on down here, and if you have a few more minutes, I'll tell you how I know that and how you can know it too."  

The man's response was short. "OK."

Carl told the man about how God sent His Son, Jesus, to suffer and die as a sacrifice for our earthly sin. He told the man how Jesus rose again after three days and how we can spend eternal life with Him in Heaven if we repent of our sin, believe Jesus is the Son of God, and receive His gift of salvation, making Him Lord of our lives. "Sir, would you like to receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ?"

The man spoke through fresh tears. "My mama used to read the Bible to me every night. She told me all about salvation in Jesus many years ago. I was a handful as a kid. I left home as soon as I turned 18. That's when I joined the Marines. I haven't talked to Mama in a long time. I didn't want her to know how I turned out, so I stopped calling her. I send her a letter now and then if I can get somebody to buy me a stamp. She probably never stopped praying for me." He cleared his throat. "Yes."

Carl looked confused. "Yes, what?"

The man wiped his tears with his sleeve. "Yes, I want to pray to receive Jesus as my Lord."

The man bowed his head and prayed. It was a simple prayer, but it was straight from the heart. "God, thank you for sending your Son to die in my place. I don't deserve this, but I receive you now as my Lord and Savior. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I'm not worried now that I've got you with me. I know I'll be OK."

Carl's heart was full. When he looked up, Catherine was crying too. Carl turned back to the man. "Sir, I never caught your name."

The man spoke a little more confidently than before. "My name is Luke."  

Well, Luke, what do you say we call my friends and get you a place to stay for now?"

The man gathered his few belongings that all fit into a grocery bag. He lunged upward into an old wheelchair that Carl had not noticed before that moment. "I think I would like that after all."

Carl and Catherine wheeled Luke back to their apartment complex, but they didn't go inside. They got straight into their car and drove Luke to Kevin and Kayla Harris's home. The Harrises bought the large home several years ago as a ministry house where they could help men like Luke get their lives back together. Carl called ahead to let them know they were coming.  

The Harrises met them in the driveway as they pulled in. "Welcome!" Keven's voice was louder but always joyful.  

They hadn't got Luke's wheelchair out of the car before Kayla started telling Luke about the quick meal she had prepared for him on their way to the Harris's home. "Your plate is warm, and so is your room."

Carl, Catherine, and Luke approached the Harris's front door. "Wait!" Catherine ran back to the car. A minute later, she ran back to Luke. "Here, Luke. I want to give you this. Consider it a Christmas gift." She handed Luke a small Bible. "It's not new, but I haven't written it in it, so it's new. It's yours."  

Luke's heart overflowed with gratitude. Carl had another offering for Luke. "Here. This should be enough cash to buy an entire book of stamps so you can write letters to your mama."

Luke's responded softly as he pushed Carl's hand back toward his wallet. "I have a better idea. Mr. and Mrs. Harris, may I borrow your phone?"

Carl and Catherine drove back to their apartment with full hearts. Suddenly, it didn't matter that the Arizona heat was too warm for Christmas or that lights were strung onto palm trees and not tall southern pines. Catherine turned on the radio, and they sang Christmas Carols along with the music artists. A few minutes later, they walked into their tiny little apartment with a tiny little tree and two tiny little gifts underneath it. Carl turned on the tree lights as Catherine wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "Carl, it's the prettiest little tree I've ever seen." She kissed him on the cheek.  

Carl took Catherine's hand and led them in a prayer. "Father God, Catherine and I miss our home and our families. We never expected to be separated from them so quickly. We certainly didn't expect a sudden move to the desert. We don't know why you brought us here, but we know you are Lord over our marriage and are with us wherever life takes us. Help us to use our journey to Your glory. We surrender fully to you to serve as missionaries wherever You and the United States Marines take us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen."

Carl and Catherine sat on their couch, admiring their tiny little tree. They dreamed about their future together, all the Christmases they would spend together, all the wonderful things God had prepared for them, and they couldn't wait to live it.