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The Christmas Star By Dennis Dykes, Sr. December 10, 2007 Jean-Claude lived with his Maman and Papa on a dusty oyster shell road right outside of the little town of Maurice, Louisiana. Their double-wide trailer had been hauled down on big trucks all the way from Lafayette, and it was all warm and cozy tonight, brightly decorated for Christmas. The twinkling tree in the corner of the living room had a few colorfully wrapped packages underneath it, but Jean-Claude had not found any yet with his name on it. Mamam “shoo-ed” him out of there every time she caught him digging around looking.
The whole family was getting ready for midnight mass at St. Ignatius church down the road in Abbeville. Jean-Claude was really excited because he got to stay up late on special occasions when the family went to late church or if they were going to visit relatives for holiday gatherings.
He stood now in his stiffly starched white dress shirt over just his “long-johns” whilem Maman pressed his blue serge suit which was just like Papa’s. Jean-Claude had only worn it twice so far, but Maman insisted on ironing it so that the trousers would have knife-sharp creases and neat cuffs. He was going to wear one of Papa’s ties tonight, too, and he wanted it to be the dark red one with pictures of Christmas trees all over it. He hadn’t asked Papa yet, but he was hoping.
“Here you go, mon cher,” Maman smiled as she handed him his pants. His coat was hanging on the end of the ironing board. He could hear his sisters giggling in their bedroom as they dressed. Maman hurried off to make herself pretty for the evening and to tie Papa’s tie for him. Jean-Claude climbed quickly into his clothes and brushed his high-top boots with a dish rag so that they gleamed a little. He hid the cloth beside the stove so that Maman wouldn’t know he had used one of her kitchen towels for his shoes. Then he ran out on the porch to check on the weather.
He looked up into the deep black sky and saw a few stars. Jean-Claude really hoped the weather would stay clear until after mass because he believed the local legend that the first one out of church at midnight to see the Christmas star would be granted a special wish on Jesus’s birthday. Jean-Claude wasn’t certain yet what he’d wish for, but he intended to be the first one on the church steps just as soon as Father John said, “Go, the mass is ended.”
Pretty soon the girls ran out to join him, bringing him the old blue tie. “Oh, well, he shrugged. He knew Maman would knot it for him on the way. Then Papa and Maman came out and they all loaded in the pickup truck to start out for church. It was a tight squeeze for all five of them in the truck cab, but it was too cold tonight to ride in the back. Too far, too.
After the short ride, the family parked in the frozen grass on the side of the small, wooden church, shining in the frosty cold. They waved and smiled and called “Merry Christmas” to many of their friends and kinfolks arriving just in time for mass. Jean-Claude caught up with Cousin Marvin, and walked in with him. He snagged a seat on the last row to be sure he could get out the door quickly when the service was over. No luck, though, because Papa took him by the shoulder and led him to the second row on the “gospel” side so that he’d be near as the altar boys and the priest celebrated the Christmas mass.
Just as they were seated, Latisha from his third-grade class, put her crutch down and crowded into the pew on the other side of Papa. Jean-Claude was now mashed between Papa and Maman, but he knew better than to wiggle too much trying to get comfortable. Besides, he had to be “on his toes” and ready to run.
The pungent smell of incense floated under his nose as Father John and the three altar boys moved slowly up the center aisle carrying the prayer book, the wine and the host. It kind of tickled as he breathed it in.
“The Lord be with you,” intoned Father John. “And with your spirit,” Jean-Claude responded with all the rest. He then went back to thinking about Christmas trees and shiny blue bicycles and toy soldiers and chicken and dressing and firecrackers and sauce piquant and…... Glancing across the aisle, he saw Cousin Marvin sitting by Rose-Marie, Jean-Claude’s other cousin on Maman’s side of the family, a big silvery bow in her curly dark-red hair. He winked, and Marvin winked back. He didn’t think Maman saw him because she had her head bowed and was whispering the prayers.
As the mass progressed, Jean-Claude caught an occasional word as he listened to part of Father John’s cheerful Christmas homily. He thought about baby Jesus having to sleep on straw in a stable far away across the ocean and was glad for his warm feather bed back at the trailer in Maurice.
“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” he kept hearing Latisha moan with her eyes tightly closed over on the other side of Papa. He knew that was not the proper response to the mass, and he wondered what she was praying so hard for. But … he began listening carefully for the words that would lead up to the end of mass. He wanted to be alert so he could quickly climb over Papa and Latisha and run down the aisle to be first out on the porch steps to see the Christmas star.
At last Father John swung the censor for the last time around the altar and closed up the little house where they put the rest of the bread and wine after communion, Jean-Claude readied himself to run as soon as ….. “Go, the mass is ended,” Father John proclaimed.
Jean-Claude tried to climb over Papa and get into the aisle, but Latisha was in the way. “Oh, no!” he thought, struggling to get by, but then Papa quickly grabbed up Latisha and sprinted down the middle of the church with Jean-Claude running as fast as he could behind them. When Jean-Claude reached the porch of the church, he saw that the sky was very dark and nearly clear, but Papa and Latisha had beat him out there. He looked up to see if the Christmas star was shining high in the sky. It was! However, glancing up at Latisha in Papa’s arms with big tears sliding down her face as she smiled so happily, Jean-Claude realized that SHE had been the first one to see the Christmas star! Now SHE would get her wish granted if the legend was true.
He guessed he couldn’t have wished for anything any better for himself than to see her happy smile, though, so he grinned shyly back.
“Merry Christmas!” Jean-Claude shouted as Marvin and Rose-Marie came out of the church. They hollered back in French, “Joyeux Noel!” He knew that this was going to be a happy holiday for him anyway, so he ran with them down the steps and headed for the truck to wait for the family to get in and head for home and a wonderful Christmas Eve together.
ninetyandnine.com © 2007, Dennis Dykes, Sr.
Dennis Dykes, Sr. is a member of Faith Tabernacle UPC in Tomball, Texas, where Floyd Barentine pastors. He plays the piano for the church even though he’s now 63 years old.
Retired from the state of Louisiana, he works daily as an administrative law judge for the Texas Workforce Commission. He is presently recovering from cancer, and still undergoing chemotherapy to be certain the carcinoma is actually dead. Thank the Lord he’s able to work and to go to church regularly.
He and his wife live very near their two grown children and their families in Spring, Texas, just north of Houston. They have five grandchildren, and it is always fun to have them in and out of the house often.
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