Alexander and His Star

It was the 24th of December. For some, it is the best night of the year. For many others—it’s the worst. However, for little Alexander, he was indifferent. He much preferred summer, but he loved Christmas because his parents loved the holiday. Each year, they decorated their home with the most festive Christmas decor they could afford that year. At the start of advent, his mother would tell him about the story of the star that hovered over the baby Jesus many years ago, and she insisted that no Christmas was complete without a star in the house. 

However, this year would be different; the star was missing. Alexander searched everywhere in his small house, but he couldn't find the star. He had only a few pennies that he saved through the years of his short life thus far, but he determined to find a star worth writing about in stories. 

Daylight started to fade into night, and the Christmas Eve church service would start not long after. Alexander knew he had to look quickly and efficiently. There was no time to waste. When he stepped outside, children his same age ran in front of him and carolers passed by him without stopping. No one turned their heads as the small boy approached Waldon, the only nearby store where he could afford something. He peeked through the foggy window before entering. Shoppers packed the store as they tried to get their last gifts. He wanted to scurry through the store unnoticed like he had outside, but he wouldn’t be able to do that here. He wouldn’t be small enough to stay hidden from them all. He paused and took a deep breath as he walked inside. The warmth from the store enveloped him—it had been too long since he had felt an embrace as warm as that. He tiptoed through the store and ran his fingers along the counters. A few customers eyed him, unsure of his intentions. Another handful of people took pity on Alexander, but only with their words. He ignored them and kept his focus on the counters and shelves. His mission was to find a star, and he would be successful no matter what. He finally eyed one counter with a shimmering display of tinsel stars elaborately arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree. Alexander rubbed the pennies in his pocket together. Maybe he could buy one of these stars. The light glittered off the tinsel, beckoning Alexander to take a closer look. He sauntered closer to it, and his stomach sank when he looked at the price. 

“Hello, young man. Can I help you?”

Alexander whipped his head up. The shop owner stood on the other side of the counter. He was a tall man with a large bushy mustache—the envy of every Victorian man. He stared at Alexander with his small blue eyes. Alexander stared at the price of the star with defeat. 

“Is there something I can help you find?” The shop owner inquired. 

Alexander looked down. He thought of an idea. 

“Do you have string or twine?” He stretched his hand out and offered his pennies. “I’ll take whatever amount these many pennies can buy.” 

The shop owner stared at the pennies he held out and nodded. He walked towards the back of his store and returned with a handful of loose twine. 

“Here you are, son,” he said with compassion. He placed the strands of twine in front of him. 

“These many pennies can get me that?” Alexander exclaimed and dropped his pennies onto the counter. 

“Keep the pennies. It’s a Christmas gift from me to you.” 

Alexander looked up at the man in disbelief. “I can pay you for this.” 

The man shook his head and replied with a smile, “Happy Christmas. Stay warm.”

“Thank you, sir. Happy Christmas!” Alexander accepted and dashed out of the shop. The sun had gone to bed, and the winter chill pierced through to his skin. The carolers finished their last songs, and the children playing earlier were now getting ready for the Christmas Eve service. Alexander frantically looked for the nearest tree. He ripped off a few branches and sat on a pile of snow. He placed one branch in his palm and another over that branch, making a cross. He pulled out one of the twine strands and tied them together. He placed another two branches on an angle and tied those together with more twine. He did it again, and then raised his creation into the sky. 

It was a star. The best star he had ever seen. A star worth writing about in stories. 

He jumped to his feet and ran up the street to the church. People piled into the church building and the hums of Christmas hymns carried through the air. Alexander opened the church cemetery gate and carefully hobbled through the snow until he approached two tombstones. He rubbed snow off the top and fixed the star between the two plots. There would be a star this year. 

With a deep sigh of relief, Alexander stepped back. 

“Happy Christmas, mother and father.”