Through the flurries of snow that find a way to slip between the tall buildings, and land upon soft wool coats, a family of six hurries along the streets. It’s Christmas Eve, and onlookers would simply assume that the little family is trying to reach their loved ones, just like any family in December. 

If you chose to take a closer look at the family, nothing would seem out of the ordinary. There is a mother, a father, an older sister, a little sister, a baby brother, and a grandmother. The father is holding the baby in a car seat, the sisters are bickering, and the mother and Grandmother are carrying crates overflowing with gifts wrapped in shiny paper, with big bows tied on top.

However, for that family, a Christmas miracle had happened very late in the night. Midnight, to be exact. There was not a swirl of gold dust, or stomping of hoofs on the roof. No man in a red suit going, “Ho ho ho.”  No, it was not a miracle from the movies. But, true as that may be, the blessing this family was given was very special, it was one they had all been waiting for for five years.

Maybe, if you had seen them the day before, they would look the same. Flurries all round, mother and grandmother carrying bags of shiny presents, sisters pinching each other as they walk. Except, the father would be carrying presents too. Not a cherub-cheeked baby in a carrier. 

Their Christmas miracle was the baby brother. That tiny, baby boy. With a swirly patch of brown hair, a round nose, wearing the softest polar bear pajamas that covered his feet and hands. He was wrapped in a baby blue blanket, like a present from the jolly fat man himself. This tiny baby boy was a miracle for that family, a long awaited bundle of joy.

His arrival prompted hasty phone calls, one to ask the grandmother to take the sisters for the night, another to a friend for baby clothes and bottles, and one anxious call to the fire department to tell the father his new son was about to come home. As the clock hit twelve, a soft knock was heard on the door. The newest family member had arrived.

In a moment their baby was in their arms as they fawned over the newest member of their little family. He had come home. 

If you are still watching, you will see that the family has made their way to a large building, just off of Michigan Avenue. The girls have stopped their arguments, as the smell of pine from the lobby fills their senses. The doorman stops to fuss over the baby, and the girls stand up proudly and smile. They’re glad people love him as much as they do.

They go to the elevator, and it takes them up to the 48th floor, with a soft whir as it climbs up and up. The family crashes in the door, and are surrounded by cousins, aunts, and uncles. Everyone wants a chance to hold the miracle they've all been waiting for. 

No, in the bustle of the city, and the swirls of snow, one would not notice a family in a window, high above the city. They would not take care to look at the little family. But if we only took the time to listen and look, we’d see everyone and their story. We would hear their Christmas Miracle.