Beatrice Finds Crow's Foot In The Snow

A lush mountain laurel grew in the woods behind Beatrice’s home. Locals called it crow’s foot. It looked a lot like mistletoe. The Miller’s used it to decorate the support beams of their porch every Christmas.

But there was twenty-four inches of snow covering the crow’s foot in December of 1982. Thanks to Beatrice’s knack for the outdoors, she found patches of the Christmas laurel in all that snow and the Miller porch was decorated in its traditional flair that year as well.

There were lots of tangled up Christmas lights in the garage. Beatrice unwound them all and decorated the black metal porch support poles with both crow’s foot and blinking lights.

The scene was breathtaking. When Beatrice plugged in the string of lights running well over 500 cubits in length, wise men from the East came by to see what was shining so brightly up in Jack’s Mountain.

The patch of woods behind the family’s home lit up with a light much purer than sunshine that special night in December, 1982 after Beatrice plugged the cord into an electrical outlet.

Nobody in her family applauded, screamed in delight, nor did they say "Good job, Beatrice!" The family just stood there with their mouths wide open when the tom boy showed off her Christmas decorating skills.

Even the squirrels came out of the trees at night to see what the brightness was all about.

Beatrice stood out in the snow looking at the candy cane like porch support poles and started to believe that there is something special about this pagan holiday.

In the distance, across the little road that ran through town was her neighbor’s nativity scene glowing in the snow.

The light of the nativity was overshadowed by Beatrice’s cubits of Christmas lights and crow’s foot.

She softly hummed the tune "Away In A Manger" while she rocked herself on the porch swing in the cold December air among beaming lights of white and green Christmas laurel.