Ms Carol Conner was a radio co-worker in the early days of KVVP-FM. Carol worked on Ft. Polk after her stint in local radio. She always had an excellent way with words and is quite comfortable on the stage. She shared this Christmas piece with us and the Vernon Parish Journal staff thought you might enjoy it too. Carol is retired and living her best life in Nacogdoches, Texas.
INTRODUCTION: Tonight we are fortunate to have a visitor, who has come to share with us the events of the first Christmas night.
Innkeeper’s Wife (Anna) speaks the following monologue from memory:
GREETINGS! I INVITE YOU TO COME BACK WITH ME IN TIME…BACK OVER 2,000 YEARS AGO TO THE FIRST CHRISTMAS EVE IN THE LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM.
YOU SEE, MY NAME IS ANNA, AND MY HUSBAND ESAU AND I RUN THE LOCAL INN…THE LOCAL MOTEL IN BETHLEHEM, PALESTINE. PALESTINE IS PART OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND OUR EMPEROR, CAESAR AUGUSTUS, HAS DECIDED THAT HE WANTS TO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN HIS EMPIRE. NOW AN EMPEROR IS LIKE A KING AND HE CAN TELL THE PEOPLE IN HIS KINGDOM TO DO ANYTHING HE WANTS THEM TO DO…AND SO HE DID. HE TOLD THEM THAT THEY MUST TRAVEL TO THE PLACE OF THEIR BIRTH TO BE REGISTERED…TO BE COUNTED… SO HE WOULD KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVED IN HIS KINGDOM.
AND SO IT WAS THAT MANY, MANY PEOPLE WERE TRAVELING HOME TO BETHLEHEM. NOW THIS WAS VERY GOOD FOR THE MOTEL BUSINESS. WE HAD BEEN BUSY ALL AFTERNOON AND THERE WAS NO ROOM LEFT IN OUR LITTLE INN.
IT WAS TURNING COLD AND CLOUDY AS THE SUN SET. AFTER SUPPER, ESAU BUILT A SMALL FIRE IN THE HEARTH; AND AS WE SAT THERE WARMING OURSELVES BESIDE THE FIRE, HE SAID, “I THINK TOMORROW WILL BE AN EVEN BUSIER DAY THAN TODAY.”
‘WELL,” I SAID. “THEN WE BEST RETIRE EARLY;” AND SO WE DID.
I FELL ASLEEP ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BUT I DID NOT SLEEP FOR LONG. NO, I WAS AWAKENED BY A KNOCK ON THE FRONT DOOR OF THE INN. I SHOOK ESAU AND SAID, “DID YOU HEAR THAT?”
“HEAR WHAT?” HE SAID.
“SOMEONE IS KNOCKING ON THE FRONT DOOR OF THE INN,” I REPLIED.
HE LOOKED PUZZLED. “HOW CAN THAT BE?” HE SAID. “WHY I PUT A SIGN ON THE DOOR TELLING EVERYONE THERE IS NO ROOM LEFT IN THE INN.”
WELL, I THOUGHT, MAYBE I WAS DREAMING. BUT THEN, I HEARD IT AGAIN…KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. WELL, IT WAS MIGHTY WARM UNDER THOSE COVERS AND SO: ESAU LOOKED AT ME AND I LOOKED BACK AT ESAU. THEN ESAU LOOKED BACK AT ME AND I LOOKED BACK AT ESAU!
FINALLY, ESAU THREW BACK HIS COVERS AND MARCHED OFF TO ANSWER THE DOOR WHILE I FELL TRIUMPHANTLY BACK INTO MY WARM PILLOW!
NOW MY HUSBAND ESAU IS A KIND MAN, A GOOD MAN, BUT NOT A PATIENT MAN. AND SO AS HE OPENED THE DOOR, I HEARD HIM SAY STERNLY, “CAN’T YOU READ THE SIGN? WE HAVE NO ROOM LEFT IN THE INN.”
A YOUNG MAN RESPONDED, “BUT MY WIFE IS EXPECTING OUR FIRST CHILD. WE HAVE TRAVELLED ALL THE WAY FROM NAZARETH IN GALILEE AND WE ARE SO WEARY. WE DONOT NEED BEDS; JUST SOMEPLACE TO LAY OUR WEARY HEADS?”
MY HUSBAND, ESAU, REPEATED, “CAN’T YOU READ THE SIGN? I HAVE NO PLACE FOR YOU TO LAY YOUR WEARY HEADS!”
“BUT SIR, THE YOUNG MAN PLEADED, “I COULD NOT HELP BUT NOTICE. YOU HAVE A STABLE. WOULD YOU MIND SO VERY MUCH IF WE MADE BEDS IN THE STRAW?’
ESAU HESITATED AND I HEARD A YOUNG WOMAN SPEAK. SHE CALLED, “JOSEPH, JOSEPH, I THINK MY TIME IS NEAR.”
WELL! I JUMPED OUT OF THE BED AND RAN TO ESAU’S SIDE AND WHISPERED IN HIS EAR, “YOU MUST LET THEM STAY IN THE STABLE. WHY, THE WOMAN CAN GO NO FARTHER.” I TOOK DOWN A LATERN, LIT IT AND HANDED TO TH E YOUNG MAN, AND BECKONED THE COUPLE TOWARD THE STABLE.
AFTER I WAS SURE ESAU WAS COMFORTABLE BACK IN OUR BED, I GATHERED SOME LEFTOVERS FROM OUR SUPPER AND A COUPLE OF WARM BLANKETS AND FOLLOWED THE YOUNG COUPLE TO THE STABLE. THEY WERE SO GRATEFUL FOR A PLACE TO STAY. THEY TRULY NEEDED A PLACE TO REST; FOR WHEN I LOOKED IN THE YOUNG WOMAN’S EYES, I KNEW IT WOULD NOT BE LONG BEFORE HER CHILD WAS BORN.
WHEN I WAS SURE THAT THEY WERE SETTLED IN AND THAT THEY WOULD CALL ME IF I WAS NEEDED, I RETURNED TO THE HOUSE AND TO MY WARM BED. I REACHED OVER AND KISSED ESAU ON THE CHEEK; BUT HIS ONLY RESPONSE WAS A LOUD, COMFORTING SNORE. MY EYES FILLED WITH TEARS…TEARS OF JOY…AS I REMEMBERED THE BIRTHS OF MY OWN CHILDREN AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, I WAS AGAIN FAST ASLEEP.
I DIDN’T REST VERY LONG FOR I WAS AWAKENED BY THE SOUND OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC…SUCH BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. I SAT UP IN BED AND I COULD SEE LIGHT LITERALLY GLEAMING THROUGH THE BEDROOM WINDOW. I KNEW IT COULD NOT BE MORNING SO I RAN TO THE WINDOW TO SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES. WHERE THERE HAD BEEN CLOUDS AND MIST, IT WAS CLEAR AND BRIGHT. AND THE STARS…THE STARS WERE LITERALLY DANCING IN THE SKY. I COULD HEAR ANGELIC VOICES CHANTING: “HOSANNA, HOSANNA, HOSANNA TO THE KING.”
I RAN AND SHOOK ESAU. I SAID, “WAKE UP, WAKE UP, SOMETHING IS HAPPENING!”…DRAGGING HIM TO THE WINDOW. AND AS WE WATCHED, THE STARS…THEY FORMED AN ARCH OVER OUR LITTLE STABLE! AND ANGELS FILLED THE MIDNIGHT SKY SINGING, “GLORY, GLORY, GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND PEACE TO ALL OF GOODWILL!”
ESAU AND I HUGGED EACH OTHER, TEARS OF AWE FILLING OUR EYES. HE SAID, “COULD IT BE?” AND I RESPONDED, “COULD IT BE THAT THE MESSIAH HAS BEEN BORN THIS NIGHT IN OUR HUMBLE STABLE.”