“It Makes Perfect Sense, Huh?”


“…yeah, I liked it,” said Ilya. “Why do you think most people didn’t get it, huh?”

“For the same reason most people don’t really understand Christmas,” said Alžbeta, sopping up the last traces of goulash with her remaining slice of boiled bread. “They never think beyond the Babe in the manger. But I was taught and I yet believe that Christmas is about an empty throne, an empty manger, an empty cross, and an empty tomb—all of which fills our empty hearts.”

“Yeah,” said Ilya. “It’s a circuit. And when we step inside that circle, we have the real joy of Christmas. I was able to explain that to a buddy at Midnight Mass.”

“Yes,” said Alžbeta. “The dear Lord bought a round trip ticket with stops along the way. He left the throne for the manger, for the cross, for the tomb, and back to the throne. He emptied Himself that we might be filled. That’s the true story of Christmas.”

Ilya nodded in agreement. “It makes perfect sense, huh? You understand that, don’t you, Anton, huh?”


–From “A Blue Danube Christmas,” a Christmas Eve story for The Donelson Fellowship . On behalf of Katrina and every member of our team here, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.