Christmas Shorts

Christmas Through the Eyes of a Candy Bar

It wasn't an extraordinary candy bar, at least not at first. It was made alongside thousands of others, with mechanized precision, and the perfect ratio of chocolate to nougat. It was expertly sealed to maximize freshness and shipped off to a neighborhood market to await purchase.

The buying of said candy bar was by no means a unique experience. It was sold at a corner store as part of a holiday sale, contained within a multi-pack of 30 such individual pieces. The package was taken home where it sat for two weeks until it could fulfil its purpose for being purchased.

The individual who purchased our singular bar took the pack to a school fair and passed out the treats to winners of a carnival game. The fair had taken place during the lunch hour of this school, and on the day preceding the weekend which would begin the long-awaited Christmas break.

The junior higher who won our aforementioned candy bar as a trophy for landing the correct amount of rings upon an array of closely placed vertical spokes, took the treat with mild interest, thinking to himself that it may prove a mild tasteful diversion later in the day.

When the Christmas fair was over, the boy took the candy bar with him back to class, keeping it safe from heat and potential smooshing within the cool interior of his now empty lunch bag.

When his class had ended, the boy was gripped by the spirit of the season and gave the candy bar to his best friend. His friend received the impromptu gift with a smile, appreciating his pal's kind thought.

When the candy bar's new owner went into the halls for the five minute passing period, he stopped by his locker to exchange his science book for his history text. He saw his younger sister a few lockers down, and she looked somewhat glum.

He went over to check on her and found out she had scored lower on an English assignment than she had hoped to. He tried to cheer her up with a reminder that she had just aced her math test the week before, and her mood brightened somewhat. He also told her he would be willing to help her on her next English paper if she wanted. She thanked him for his offer and seemed somewhat willing to take him up on it. As the one minute bell rang, the boy handed her the candy bar as an "early Christmas present," as he called it. They had a good chuckle before heading their separate ways.

The girl went to her next class, the candy bar safely tucked into the outer pocket of her backpack. After an intriguing lecture on the basics of American government, the students were allowed to do group work on their daily assignment. The girl sat with several of her friends, and they worked diligently midst the inevitable random chatter that surfaced occasionally.

When one of the girl's friends mentioned that she had a Christmas card for their history teacher, but no trinket to go with it, the girl offered up the candy bar. The girl told her friend that her brother had been very kind in cheering her up, and she was grateful for the small gift, but the candy bar would be better served as an addendum to their teacher's card. Her friend thanked her and offered to allow the girl to sign the card along with her. The offer was accepted, and the two girls gave the card and candy bar to their teacher at the end of class.

The teacher, a middle aged woman who cared deeply for the adolescents of her school, was overcome with joy at the thoughtfulness of the girls. She accepted the card and sweet with a full heart, glad for the show of kindness from the students she worked so hard to educate. She read the card with relish but didn't plan on eating the candy bar, as she was not to keen on sweets.

As the final period of the day ended, the teacher gave the candy bar to one of her students as he was about to leave. She told him that even though he didn't feel like he was one of the highest scoring students, she could see he was definitely one of the hardest working students she had ever known. She wished him a happy holiday, and he left with his heart soaring at her words.

The student then saw one of the janitors cleaning up the hallway where his locker was located. He felt as if the encouraging words that his teacher had given him couldn't stay within him, and the kindness had to keep going. He shyly walked up to the janitor, giving a quick word of thanks for the perpetual hard work of always keeping the school looking neat and clean.

The janitor was moved, feeling great joy at the boy's thanks. The janitor told him that he was the first student that entire year to ever say thank you.

The boy followed up with a token of his appreciation, which was, of course, our titular inanimate object. The janitor accepted the candy bar and wished the boy a Merry Christmas.

When the janitor went home that evening, the candy bar was placed on a branch of a decorated Christmas tree. There the candy bar sat snugly next to snowflake and reindeer ornaments, as a symbol of true giving. The candy bar itself had not been the focus of its time as a gift to multiple people, but rather it served as the physical embodiment of a deeper expression of human kindness. No one had tasted of the cocoa and caramel contained within the colorful wrapper, and yet their hearts had tasted of the wonder that gracious words and a smile can give.

The candy bar had become more than just one of the many in a box, or a forgettable sugar experience - it was a beacon of hope that served as a reminder that people can still be kind to one another.