THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

 

The Autumn Leaves of my Journey
Each leave representing a memory, experience or a value

As the Christmas season is approaching, we are all being inundated with the advertising from stores that leads us to believe that there product they are promoting will surely leave our loved ones speechless and full of awe and wonderment. Also the retailers flooding the market with the great deals on Black Friday and even this year Gray Thursday, with the promise of great low priced deals. We see fights over products, even violence.

I think this advertising does give us a better idea of what is out there for that special one we are thinking of........

But going back in time, my time, growing up….we never had television to entice us into gifts we could not afford, we had traditions that were handed down from family to family. Most of our gifts were hand made by our mom or dad.  Our tree was laden with icicles and homemade ornaments, and beautiful lights; it was surely

the most gorgeous tree in the neighborhood.  We used the biggest of our stockings we had for Santa to fill on that wondrous night called Christmas Eve. Usually receiving an orange, nuts and hard candy, or sometimes a banana. We all wrote letters to the North Pole to let the jolly old man know our list of what we wanted.  The local radio station read our letters  over the air waves and we were thrilled to hear our names and our list to Santa, only adding to the excitement.

It was a wonderful time to believe in Santa as a child and I would not change it in any way, I have tied to give my children some of the same experiences,” visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads”.  As an adult I have had other experiences that have brought me pure joy, leaving an imprint on my soul that will never leave me.  One such experience was while my husband and I were on an 18^th month mission for our church as a senior couple.  We were living in our motorhome and staying in a RV park in Tucumcari, NM.  A small town along Interstate 40. The owners of the RV Park were amazing people who made us feel completely welcome. We soon became good friends and shared many of the same values;

we have maintained our friendship to this day.  Betty is a person who has great faith in her religion and accepts and offers unconditional love to any who may differ from her view, knowing that we are all God’s children.  Her nephew Steve also helped Betty run the park, and was equally accepting.  While Christmas was fast approaching that first year we were there. My husband and I had gone to celebrate a Christmas dinner with our church members.  While sitting and enjoying the meal and program, I overhead a small boy asking his mom and dad for a “big remote dump truck” for Christmas, and the reply his mother gave.  It went something like this; “Santa has a lot of boys and girls to visit on Christmas Eve and sometimes he doesn’t leave the exact toys the children want” would he be happy if Santa left him something different? The look on the boy’s face told me all I needed to know.  He would be awfully disappointed, but it would be fine. I knew that this family was of meager income.  Upon leaving the dinner and party, I talked with my husband about going shopping and playing Santa’s helper on Christmas Eve.  It was exciting shopping for that little boy and two other of his family members. It seemed like Christmas Eve would never arrive.  We needed some help because this family knew who we were and we wanted them to believe it was only from Santa’s helper. 

Steve agreed to play the role of Santa’s elf, dressing in a green elf hat with a great big grin.  We never breathed a word to the parents about the surprise; we wanted it to be a big surprise to them also. When the big night finally came, we all jumped in the car and headed out of town with our pack loaded with goodies.  In traveling there we laughed,

sang songs, it was very merry and exciting group of people in that vehicle, feeling what was soon going to happen.  Steve got out of the car with his green elf hat and a broad grin plus his pack. Walked to the door and knocked. Upon answering the door, the little boy’s eyes became as wide as a baseball at what he saw. Steve then said that he was Santa helper, heard that this family had some very good children, and had not been naughty, he had come to help Santa deliver some gifts.  The mom and dad’s face was one of total amazement, who could this elf be? Steve then wished them a HO, HO and a Merry Christmas and left.  On the drive back home, none of could speak a word; at first not realizing that we had just been blessed with pure joy and it was

this pure joy that overcame us. We were experiencing the true Magic of Christmas.  It was the most spiritual Christmas I had ever known.  I want to thank my sweet friend Betty and her nephew Steve for helping us to accomplish what Christmas is all about, putting Christ back into Christmas. To this day that family does not have a clue as to who we were, and that is what makes it so awesome.   MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!