How ‘God Touched’ This Family With a Christmas Star
By Movieguide® Contributor
One mom is sharing how a handmade Christmas star brought her family joy one holiday season.
“Grocery bags in one hand, I helped my seven-year-old son, Hudson, out of the car,” Kelly Gallagher wrote in an essay for Guideposts. “It wasn’t easy to hide my excitement as we walked toward the house. Hudson didn’t know it, but there was a surprise waiting for us inside: a Christmas tree. A real Christmas tree. My husband, Alan, and I had never put up a live tree in all our 14 years together.”
There was another layer to Gallagher and her husband’s excitement and nerves — their son is autistic, and the couple are never sure what will “touch Hudson’s spirit.”
“Hudson looked at the tree,” she wrote. “His eyes didn’t light up. He didn’t smile. He might have been looking at a new piece of furniture. ‘Tree,’ Hudson said simply. ‘Pine needles.’ All the hopes I’d told myself not to have came crashing down.”
Gallagher continued, “God had given me the perfect child, autism and all. Hudson could never fail me. But at times like this, I feared I was failing him. I felt helpless to find something about Christmas that spoke to my son.”
READ MORE: WHY WE NEED TO LET GOD ENTER OUR HEARTS THIS CHRISTMAS
As the family began to decorate the tree together, Gallagher and her husband noticed they didn’t have a star to go on top.
“The Christmas star symbolizes the star of Bethlehem,” Beliefnet wrote. “The star is the heavenly sign of prophecy and the shining hope for humanity. In the story, it signifies the birth and kingship — which turned out to be an undefinable hope for society.”
To Gallagher and her husband’s surprise, Hudson offered to make a star.
“Alan and I almost fell over each other, grabbing up art supplies,” she wrote. “‘What color do you want your star to be, Hudson?’ Alan asked. Hudson chose a yellow crayon. We watched him color intently. When he was satisfied, I cut the star out for him. Alan climbed the stepladder, affixed the star to the top of the tree and turned on the lights.”
“‘I love my star!’ Hudson exclaimed,” Gallagher continued. “I didn’t need a camera to remember this moment forever. ‘We will definitely save your star for next year,’ I said. ‘Okay?’ Hudson didn’t answer. He was looking up at the tree topper, his face split in a wide smile. The wise men themselves couldn’t have been more joyful as they gazed at the star leading the way to Bethlehem. Alan and I had our tree; Hudson had his star. God had touched each one of us in his perfect way.”
READ MORE: HOW YOU CAN SHARE THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR
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