by Jennifer Martin
It is no surprise that many of us are ready to leave 2020 behind and enter into 2021 with the hopes of better days. This hope for health, stability, and normalcy isn’t new. In 1941, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Winston Churchill delivered a Christmas Eve speech on American soil. Churchill states, “This is a strange Christmas Eve. Almost the whole world is locked in deadly struggle.” But Churchill does not linger in the fear of uncertainty for very long. In his short speech, he shifts to what remains constant: the hope that children experience during Christmas. Churchill states,
“Therefore we may cast aside for this night at least the cares and dangers which beset us, and make for the children an evening of happiness in a world of storm. Here, then, for one night only, each home throughout the English-speaking world should be a brightly-lighted island of happiness and peace.”
If we give children the opportunity to be just that--children--then they will fight against instability with joy, wonder, and imagination. When we as adults are trying to find solutions and ways to solve our problems, children rest in knowing that some things are out of their control, and they respond with escaping to a place where they can ease their fears, enter new worlds, and imagine a more hopeful future. Maybe this is why Jesus tells us that we must humble ourselves like children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:4).
Our hope at Anthem is to create a place where children make “happiness in a world of storm,” not because they are too naive to believe the storm doesn’t exist, but because they are so well guided that they know Who controls the storm. We aim to teach this hope through stories of courageous heroes, conversations about God’s relationship to man, and lessons that encourage students to see God’s handiwork in creation. For those of you who plan to enroll your children at Anthem, we hope your students will come home with those conversations from school and share them with you. We hope this blog serves as another tool for you to learn more about classical Christian education so you can fully experience the inspiring stories, lessons, and Scriptures that permeate our curriculum. At the end of the day, we anxiously await those small moments where you and your child get to bond over the conversations that build hope and stability regardless of the season.
We are hopefully expectant at Anthem, as we look forward to opening our doors next year to build relationships with the families who partner with us. May your Christmas be filled with childlike faith as you celebrate Christ’s coming.
You can find the rest of Winston Churchill’s speech below: