
For the past few years, I’ve faced the same challenge each December. Gary asks me what I want for Christmas and I can’t decide what to tell him. We’ve been together fifty years so he no longer attempts to surprise me. We’ve downsized and simplified our lives to the point that there really isn’t much I need or want that I don’t already have. And this year, when so many people are doing without the basics of life, it seems selfish to sit here in a warm home with food in the pantry, and ask for anything more.
Of course, that wasn’t always my attitude. I’ve spent some time this morning reading Santa letters from 1913 and I remember feeling like this young man:
Dear Santa,
I am a little boy 11 years old and been studying my books so hard that I think you might remember me this year. I want a pocket book, a French harp, candy, apples, nuts, fire crackers, a pistol, and some books to read. Darl Pearce
Each year I studied hard, tried to be the best I could be, worked in the fields alongside my parents, and hoped to be amply rewarded. I even tried to be nicer to my brothers and not argue with the other children at school.
I don’t recall writing letters to Santa, but I’m sure I must have. And I’m sure that some years I was disappointed. However, a few years stand out in my memory as the “best Christmas ever”. The one that always tops the list is the year my grandfather made a little kitchen for me. One year my parents bought me a record player and the man who filled the juke box at my grandmother’s café either sold or donated a large stack of 45s to Dad. I was thrilled to be able to play my favorite songs and sing along with them! Another year I received a little doll house that I wanted. One year there were colored pencils and paints and fancy paper under the tree. When I was twelve, I received a red skirt, white sweater, and red cardigan. I felt so grown up!
It’s interesting though, to think about all the presents I do NOT recall. I can’t tell you what I got when I was fifteen or twenty. I can’t even tell you what I received ten years ago. What I clearly remember is feeling loved and blessed that someone took the time to make or buy a present in order to make my life happier or easier.
I do this each year- think about past Christmas holidays and compare them to the current one. I’m sure you do the same. And what I’ve realized for the past twenty years is that my most vivid memories are of gatherings with friends and loved ones- dinners, parties, church musicals, parades, school programs, and charity events. Perhaps that’s the true challenge of this year, for me and for everyone else. A present under the tree will be appreciated, but being present with loved ones may become a lovely memory or a lifelong regret. I pray that each of us makes wise decisions in the next ten days.
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