Chapter Two; The Best Christmas Present

"Well, I just finished the last of my Christmas shopping." Ron said as he entered the house through the front door and carried his bags into the dining room before placing them up on the table.

"That's good. Considering that tomorrow is Christmas Eve." Hermione told him with a hint of sarcasm inside her voice while he set his car keys down next to his bags.

"Ha, ha very funny Hermione. I'm sorry but I really don't understand what it is about women and always having to be early for everything. I mean, you finished your Christmas shopping months ago." He said.

"And I don't understand what it is about men and procrastination!" Hermione exclaimed before Eve walked down the hallway and entered the room.

"And I don't understand why you two aren't married yet when you already fight like an old married couple." She said.

"Why don't you just mind your own business? After all, you're the one who's playing Mary in the Nativity play and I really don't think that Mary was the type of person who stuck her nose into other people's businesses where they don't belong." Ron told her.

"Careful Ron, you don't want her to be too much like Mary." Harry began. "She got pregnant with Jesus when she was around Eve's age." He told him with a grin.

"I just hope that Danny's in a good mood tomorrow night since it'll take place after the time that he's usually supposed to be in bed." Eve said.

"Oh I'm sure that Brittany and Aaron will rearrange his naptime schedules so he won't be all that tired and fussy." Harry began. "It'll be very interesting to see how they'll handle him on the plane though." He finished before his father walked out of the kitchen.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Harry, would you and your friends mind very much helping me set the table?" he questioned as Harry quickly shook his head at him.

"No." he replied.

"Wow, I bet that Johnny and Danny are excited about Santa Claus coming to visit them tomorrow night." Hermione said.

"Well Johnny probably is but I doubt very much that Danny is. He's way too young to understand what that means yet since he can't even talk yet." Ron told her.

"I know." Harry began. "And Santa doesn't even come around here anymore because all of the children that live here are too old to leave out milk and cookies for him. That is, unless Dad has more children someday." He finished.

"Well, take a look on the bright side, that just means more for us then." Ron said as Hermione just simply rolled her eyes and stifled a laugh. "What?" he questioned with uncertainty.

"Honestly Ronald, do you ever stop thinking about your stomach?" she asked him.

"No." Eve answered for him. "Unless he's sleeping." She added before Ron turned over to look at Harry.

"Can I kill her Harry? Since she's your sister I thought that I would be polite and ask you first." He told him.

"I'm pretty sure that murder goes on your permanent record." Harry replied with a nod and a grin before all three of them busted out laughing.

…..

Harry parked his car inside the church parking lot before he got out of the driver's seat and accidentally squeaked his boots up against the side of it. That's when all of a sudden Bill carried Johnny over there to him and the rest of his family to greet them as they climbed out of the car. "Hullo Harry." He began.

"Hey guys. Where's Fleur?" Harry asked him while Johnny turned his head and hid his face inside his father's chest.

"She's at the hospital." Bill replied with a grin. "She just had the baby." He told him.

"Really!? Wow! That means that she's a Christmas Eve baby!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

"Brilliant Hermione, just brilliant." Ron told her sarcastically.

"So what's her name?" Hermione asked him eagerly.

"Yeah go on, tell us. We've been waiting for months!" Eve cried while Ginny groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about it." She said as Bill continued grinning at them.

"Her name is Amber Arielle Weasley." He told them.

"Really? That's so pretty! I love that name Amber!" Hermione told him.

"Yeah me too. Can we see a picture of her?" Ginny asked him eagerly.

"Yeah sure hold on." He began before he dug into his back pocket with his other hand and dug out his wallet. "She's already got quite a bit of ginger hair by the way and she's a tiny little thing." He said.

"Really? How big is she?" Ginny wondered.

"She was born six pounds and three ounces." He replied before he pulled out his picture and showed it to them. Sure enough there was a beautiful baby girl sleeping snugly and safely inside her mother's arms wrapped up in a little purple blanket.

"Aww! She's so cute!" Ginny exclaimed when all of a sudden the baby girl opened up her amber colored eyes. "Oh and I see where she got her name from." She added.

"Actually Fleur and I had her name picked out for months." He told her while she handed the picture back over to him.

"Has Johnny seen her yet?" she wondered.

"Not in person, no. Mum came over to watch him while I went to the wizarding hospital to be with Fleur. He's going to see her tomorrow though and I'm really curious to see what he's going to think of her. Anyway, we should all probably go inside now before we freeze up into icicle statues." He said as the snow continued falling down and they could hear the church bells ringing inside the distance.

"I agree." Harry replied with a nod. "Well Johnny, it looks like you're officially a big brother now." He told him while they headed a crossed the parking lot together.

"Yeah, and Amber was born a week before my fourteenth birthday. That means that we're almost near exactly fourteen years apart. Go figure!" Eve exclaimed as they headed inside the church together and waited until everyone was seated inside their pews before Harry walked up to the front of the room and turned around to face the congregation.

"Good evening." He began.

"Good evening." They echoed back at him.

"Merry Christmas." He told them before they echoed it back at them.

"Now before we get started I have a wonderful announcement to make. The reason that Fleur Weasley isn't here to join us tonight is because she just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl." He said as the whole entire room suddenly erupted with applause. "So we wish her and her family the best and thankfully Amber is healthy. I'm sure that Bill will show anyone who wants to see her the picture of her. Now I'm not sure about the rest of you but for me personally, seeing a newborn baby like her reminds me just how miraculous God really is.

And that's when we have to remind ourselves why we really celebrate Christmas. Now for the longest time God had promised us a Savior would come into this world to rid us from our sins and reconcile us with Him. We expected the king of kings to be this all and powerful mighty solider. However the Lord had different ideas. It's kind of hard to believe that Jesus was once this defenseless and helpless little baby. Like all babies do He depended on His mother for food, clothing, and shelter. He was like all of us on the outside. He had to learn to crawl, walk, and talk and to feed Himself and to do everything else that all children need to learn how to do.

"But as He grew older Jesus knew that He had a purpose to fulfill. Just like all stories have to have a beginning and an end, the story begins with His birth and ends with His death and resurrection. Because Jesus was so unselfish and willing to be born as a human baby and die in a much brutal way upon the cross, that explains to us how miraculous God is. He loved us so much that He sent His Son to be born for us into this world and die for us later on His life even though we didn't deserve it. Jesus' death and resurrection symbolizes new life and hope.

Which like my little sister Heather has quoted on many times from one of hers and her twin brother's favorite all-time movies, it's the circle of life. It is that very circle that makes God so amazing. Our time here upon this earth is so brief that there is literally more to be seen that can ever be seen and more to do that can ever be done. But once we all get to Heaven, we'll have all of eternity to walk with Jesus and He will show us things that we can't even scarcely imagine." He said.

"Amen." Everyone else in the background said.

"Now let us all bow our heads and pray." Harry said before everyone closed their eyes and bowed their heads. "Heavenly Father, we come before you on this Christmas Eve just to say thank you for giving us your Son Jesus which is the greatest gift of all. Thank you for Bill, Fleur, Johnny, and their new beautiful little girl Amber. We know that you have a purpose for them just as much as you have a purpose for the rest of us. And please help us to remember that even though in the heat of excitement of finishing our Christmas shopping that the whole entire Christmas season is about you and what you have done for us. This we ask in your name, amen." Harry said.

"Amen." Everyone else said.

"Now before we get started with the Nativity program. Let us all stand and sing Oh Come all Ye Faithful." Harry told them as everyone inside the pews suddenly got to their feet and grabbed ahold of their hymn books.

Oh come all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant.

Oh come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem.

Come and behold Him,

Born the king of angels.

Oh come let us adore Him,

Oh come let us adore Him,

Oh come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord!

Sing choir of angels,

Sing in exultation,

Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above.

Glory to God,

In the highest.

Oh come let us adore Him,

Oh come let us adore Him,

Oh come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord!