Ahhh, it’s Christmas time! The air is crisp! And the snow is beautiful, no matter how little we get. Well, they’ve received a bit more than a little in Boone. Over the next few days, they are expecting 4-10 inches on top of the slushy stuff left over from last week’s frosting.
Snow does not deter me, though. I drove up to see my son and deliver my grandson to his other grandma on Saturday.
Oh yes, before you ask, my Christmas tree farm was gleaming amongst the snow capped mountains. In between the Christmas trees, there were dads, moms, sons, daughters, grandpas, etc, looking for the perfect tree to adorn their homes. The perfect tree, of course, that would have milk and cookies waiting for Santa and Rudolph.
Maybe this year, I’ll leave Santa a pot of “fresh brew” to go with those cookies. Now, what should I brew? Don’t worry, I know Santa won’t be disappointed. Not at my house if I have anything to do with it. Matter of fact, when I’m finished talking to you, I’m calling Southern Season to get a special delivery for the guy in the red suit! Psssst…he likes Toberlone as well.
Ok ok. So what if I am eat up with Christmas? We all should be. Christmas should never be a ho-hum, “oh my God, I have to buy another gift”, “too little time and too much to do and too little money” time of the year. No. Christmas is about family. Christmas is about love and how the ultimate sacrifice occurred for all of us.
(Keep reading, please!)
I heard a story last week about a son talking to his dad about his mom’s death and how devastated his dad was. He said, “Dad would you kill me to get mom back?” “Of course, not!”, his dad replied. The son said, “Dad, that’s what God did for you and me.” I haven’t been able to shrug this one off. My nights have been restless. Only after I get up about 4 am, make some hot chocolate, and cut the logs on and go sit by the Christmas tree with that beautiful angel on top, can I get any peace. I know God is wanting to tell me something. Maybe its to let the world have its troubles. Release my worries to Him. Rest in His assurance that my kids and grandson will be fine, no matter what.
Rest in Him, because that’s where real hope and change can be found.
Christmas is about …_________________.
You fill in the blanks. And while you’re thinking, don’t go away. Because, here’s my version of a classic tale…just grab a cup of good brew, sit by the tree, and put your name where mine is..enjoy!
Yes, Sheila … There is a Santa Claus
Dear Editor
I am 48 years old. Some of my friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun or the Herald, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
- Sheila Barber
Sheila, your friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Sheila, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Sheila, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Sheilas (it sure would!!). There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence (and no one as crazy over “brew”). We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Sheila, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Sheila, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Merry Christmas!
Sheila
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