Star Light? Where?

Christmas 2020, one of the strangest Christmases of my life, has come and gone.

As Advent led up to it, news that the “Christmas Star” would be visible the evening of December 21, the winter solstice, struck me as the perfect joyful cap to that season of anticipation. Not only would seeing the star life my spirits on the shortest day of the year, it would make what promised to be a flat Christmas special.

Something to look forward to, nine months into the pandemic - an opening into time and the universe far beyond the constrictions that had kept me isolated from it for so long.

Not visible since the year 1226, and not to be seen again until 2080, planets Jupiter and Saturn would pass so close to each other that they would appear as one great, shining star.

I marked my calendar, checked the almanac for sunset’s time, and set my alarm to remind me to stand at my window until the sun sank below the horizon. My 250-degree west facing window affords a high, unobstructed view of the sky where the star was schedule to appear. Perfect!

I watched the sky all afternoon. Maybe the thin layer of clouds would let the star’s light through, I hoped. But as sunset approached, more clouds piled up. I could see a few openings. What a Christmas miracle it would be for the star to shine, framed in one of those breaks I thought, even for a few seconds.

I stood at my window, in the dark, until after six o’clock watching, waiting for the clouds to part, trying to will them to budge, but they didn’t. I looked for the slightest pinprick of light but saw nothing. My spirits picked up the next day when the sky cleared. Although it would have been nice to see the Christmas Star at its peak, I thought, if I can just see it I’ll be happy. But wouldn’t you know, clouds rolled in again, thicker than the day before. Again, no sighting … and on into Christmas night, when we had rain. No celestial light visible in my part of the sky.

By that time Jupiter and Saturn had separated to go their own ways. Now we’re in Epiphany, the season the church celebrates what could have been that very star. We welcomed the new calendar year. And as the pandemic year plods along, what’s to do but celebrate the gifts that come my way and let go of those that don’t.