Sal, Happy New Year!” Chris greeted his best friend.
“Same to you, Chris,” she replied.
Christ noticed something very different in his friend. Sal did not only radiate an aura of great joy but Chris could strongly sense how fast her heart was beating with excitement by the way her face blushed.
“I know how you’re feeling,” he reassured her. “Calm down, take your time and some air. When you’re ready I will be all ears.”
“I’m ready…,” Sal replied.
“Really? You know how you can sometimes think faster than you speak and end up confusing me and yourself,” Chris teased her.
“No, seriously, I’m ready,” she said.
“Okay then, I’m all ears!”
“You know I’m so happy when I heard that Christmas doesn’t end with New Year’s eve? I was so thrilled to discover that it extends until the Baptism of Jesus.”
“So…?” Chris shrugged to show that there nothing seemed so ‘exciting’ about something that he –being a Catholic– had known all the time.
“No, I know you’re thinking ‘so what?’ But it’s not that, Chris. It’s about my New Year’s resolution.”
“Hey, that’s pretty personal stuff and you’re totally free not to tell me,” Chris reminded her.
“Yes, but before I share it with you I thought I ought to tell you how I realized that this resolution would be the right one to prepare me for my baptism next year,” Sal’s face lightened up even more when she said the word baptism.
“Don’t tell me…,” Chris winked mischievously at Sal. Being best friends, even though having different beliefs, had made them so close like brothers and sisters. It was easy enough for one to guess what the other was going to say.
“Yes, I finally did it!”
“But how did your parents react?”
“At first they were surprised, but after the days drew closer to Christmas it was so strange that they seemed to be even more drawn to it.”
“Really?”
“You wouldn’t believe it, dude,” Sal started to speak faster.
“Easy, girl…eeeeasy…,” Chris reminded her.
“Okay…1…2…3…,” she counted to contain herself.
“And…?”
“Well, I couldn’t believe it when mom herself saw the manger I made in my room and suggested that it would be a wonderful decoration for the living room,” Sal started to shed tears.
“Awesome!”
“You bet, and not only that. It seemed that as the days drew closer to Christmas the Manger scene seemed to be like some spiritual magnet that attracted everyone to it to silently pray before the scene. Then it became a quasi-Christmas tree since everyone started piling the gifts around it.”
“Did they tell you anything else?” Chris asked. “Like…, ‘it would be alright with them if you become Catholic?’”
“Not exactly, but dad one evening came to my room and told me that he was thankful for what I had done, that he recalled many childhood memories of their belen at home, and that he was happy with whatever made me happy.”
“Then, I guess that’s it,” Chris said.
“So my resolution…,” Sal continued.
“You know you don’t have to,” Chris reminded her again.
“It’s okay, you can even remind me if I forget it,” Sal assured him.
“Okay.”
“Well, I thought of spiritually constructing a daily manger. I will keep the one I made so that it will help me materialize my faith in daily deeds of love, work and service.”
“That’s not only wonderful, it’s kindda cute as well,” Chris reflected.
“Well, that’s that…,” Sal said.
“You know, Sal?”
“What, Chris?”
“I was wondering…,” Chris was a bit hesitant to continue.
“What?”
“Maybe it would be nice if you made me a manger too,” he said.
“No way! Only if you’re willing to pay the price!”
“Hey, what are friends for, anyway!”
“Okay! But only if I get to write your name under the figurine of the ass!”