Christmas Eve, Chinese Food, and the Children of Abraham

I had an interesting Christmas Eve tonight. I have been home all day and decided only to venture out to attend a Christmas Eve service at my church. However, my plans got changed just a bit when my sister Stacey called me in the late afternoon with a most excellent invitation. She invited me to join her family for dinner at my favorite Chinese buffet. Of course, I could not pass this up. It was a chance to re-enact the scene from the movie A Christmas Story. Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra!
So, at the appointed time, we showed up at the Chinese buffet and it was packed. There was about a half hour wait before we could get a table. While we stood in the entry way admiring the juxtaposition of the Christmas tree and the koi swimming in the fountain and the Santa Claus statue and the Buddha statue, I noticed that my fellow Christmas Eve diners were quite a diverse crowd. Beyond the restaurant staff who were all wearing Santa hats, I also noticed most was that there were several people of Middle Eastern descent. Most of the women had their heads covered and several were speaking languages that I didn't recognize. There is a rather large mosque and Islamic center near the restaurant and so this didn't completely surprise me. However, I thought it was interesting that so many people who appeared to be practicing Muslims were out on Christmas Eve for dinner at a Chinese restaurant.
It got a bit more interesting when in walked some of Stacey's friends. The family has a boy who was in my nephew Cameron's class in school. Later on in the evening, Stacey shared with me that her friends were Jewish. I immediately recalled Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan's response to the Senator Lindsay Graham's question during Kagan's confirmation hearings about where she was on Christmas Day last year. Kagan responded, "You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant."
So, the Christmas Eve service was beautiful at my church. We sang all the beloved Christmas carols. We heard the account read of Jesus' birth from the Gospel of Luke. We got to light candles and sing Silent Night. However, I think I what I will most remember about this Christmas Eve was that for a brief moment, I was united with my fellow children of Abraham for a delicious Chinese buffet.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for being a part of my journey!