The Night the Animals Talk

Sea Breeze
Dear Henley, Lander, Paisley, Kennedy, Whit,

I want to tell you a story. A magical story. Long, long ago, in the city of David, called Bethlehem, a baby was born. This baby boy was born in a stable, a building where animals spend the night and eat their meals. This baby boy's mother placed him in a manger, which is like a big basket that holds hay for the horses, and sheep, and camels and goats to eat. Mary, the baby's mother, placed him on the sweet hay in the manger so he could sleep. Being born is hard work, so the baby boy was tired. His mother was tired too, and his daddy, Joseph, was tired as he had walked all the way from a city called Nazareth to be counted, but that is another story. Joseph and Mary were so tired from traveling and baby having, that they too lay down in the soft hay and went to sleep.

This is where our story picks up. The baby, whom they had named Jesus, was sleeping, Mary and Joseph were sleeping, the shepards who had showed up to see the baby were sleeping, the three wise men who had traveled on camels for days and days, were camel sore and they were sleeping. Who was awake in this stable then? Well, I'll tell you who was awake, all the animals were awake. The camels, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, pigs, chickens, turkeys, mice, dogs and cats, they were all awake. For you see, this was a special night for the animals. This special baby had been born in their home, and the baby brought with him special powers like saving the world from sin, but that is another story.

Anyway, back to our animal story. Exactly at midnight on this first Christmas Eve, God was so filled with joy about His only son being born, that he let the angels talk and all the animals. So the animals spoke in voices to each other and spent the next hour praising God and oohing and ahing over baby Jesus. They laughed and laughed and hugged each other and licked each other in joy. They were so happy to be able to talk to each other.]

Well, these barn animals had so much fun talking, laughing and praising God, that God decided to let them do it again the next year.

So, a tradition was born. Each Christmas Eve, at exactly the stroke of midnight, animals all over the world speak to each other for one hour in human voices. Before the hour is up, they kneel down and give thanks to God for the gift of the baby Jesus. God loves this hour each year as his creation praises Him. Even the angels get in on the celebration.

So, grand babies, this Christmas Eve, at exactly midnight, if you listen, you may be able to hear the animals talking. MeMe has heard them. One Christmas Eve when I was a girl, I went out to barn where I kept my horse, Clipper. It was a cold, clear Christmas Eve night in Tennessee, and I was bundled up against the cold. As I got close to Clipper's stall, I stopped and listened. I heard him whinnie, horses make a whinnie type noise, and then the horse talk turned into people talk. He was talking to the horse in the next stall. Clipper was kneeling and I heard him say, "Merry Christmas God."

I looked at my watch and it was exactly 59 minutes after midnight. My horse was kneeling, just like I had heard the animals do and he was talking in a human voice. So grand babies, the story is true. MeMe saw and heard it with her own eyes and ears.

Tonight, this Christmas Eve, the animals wait, The whole world waits. The Christ Child is born again, in our lives and our hearts. The people worship and celebrate and sleep. The animals, for one brief hour, speak in people voices and kneel in reverence to the baby Jesus.

Merry, Merry Christmas to you all.

Christmas love.

MeMe