food, crochet, merriment
I’m like a child about Christmas.
I still believe.
To me, the sparkle and the glitter are real,
and the gifts that I receive–
come from the heart.
The season is it’s own excuse for giving,
and I love
the generosity I feel.
The tree,
the ornaments,
the lights
are all for me.
It’s magic, and I feel it
every year.
Maybe that’s because
I still believe.
“I KNOW Him!!” No, really. I do.
Or at least, he looks familiar somehow. Hmmm…in fact, he looks remarkably like my cute Dane.
I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.
I’ll tell you this–he is one “right jolly old elf” all right.
In fact, he had a good list/naughty list chat with a ton of kids on Saturday–passing out candy canes and having his picture taken with them all.
This dude assures me that Christmas is looking pretty fabulous for all of us–as long as we’ve been…
good.
Dang.
Knew there was a catch.
It’s funny–isn’t it–that these little ones don’t really question…
all the boxes and crates and tins that we carry in from wherever they’ve been hiding since last Christmas.
Do you think they wonder why this time of year we surround ourselves with sparkly stars, gingerbread, pine cones and tiny shepherds?
Or do you think, maybe…
that in their gentle angel hearts…
They just know?
“Make it go, Daddy! Make it go!”
I shook the store’s miniature merry-go-round to simulate motion, trying to convince my three-year-old son and his little sister that they were content just to sit on the wooden horses.
Inside the discount store my wife was finishing some last-minute Christmas shopping. As a struggling graduate student without a spare penny, I rattled and shook the merry-go-round in frustration. The San Francisco evening was black, cold, foggy, and depressing. I was tired and irritated by my son’s insistent cry for me to “Make it go!”
Shuffling noticeably, a middle-aged man came toward us out of the fog. By the dim light of the street lamp he watched my attempt to satisfy the children. After a few moments he fumbled in his pocket for a coin. His unkempt appearance and a pervading odor of alcohol made me wary, and I protested. They were fine, I muttered, shaking the horses again. “See, you’re fine, aren’t you?” I said.
Producing the coin, he pleaded, “Please, let me do this; please?” Surprised by the pitiful tone of his voice, I relented.
As the delighted children went round and round, the man haltingly explained, “My wife and I never had any children … and … she died recently. It’s Christmas … I’m all alone. Thank you.”
He disappeared into the dense fog. He had needed someone to give to at Christmas. And truly he had—not only to the children, but to me as well. Because of him, I had gained a new appreciation for a very precious gift from God—my family.
By Wendel K. Walton
Happy Birthday Kathy!!
Happy Birthday Dad!!
In the quest to entertain a couple of two-year-olds–
clever April came up with a fun, little Christmas craft that was simple enough for the babies to be involved and yet turned out quite pretty when bigger hands took over.
See what you think…
You’ll need:
green tinsel pipe cleaners
craft glue
beads
We made them on paper plates so that the beads didn’t escape the little hands entirely. Take the first pipe cleaner and fold it in half.
Twist a small loop in the fold end…
and continue twisting all the way down.
Cut the remaining pipe cleaners into “branches” of longer to shorter lengths.
Twist each length around the main “trunk” all the way up.
Trim them if you want or just leave them in their natural state.
Dot the craft glue wherever you want your bead ornaments.
Now hand the kids the beads and let them decorate the trees.
Let them sit for a few hours until the glue is completely dry. Fix an ornament hanger to the top—and there you have it!
A sweet, sparkly little tree for the tree.
Simply lovely.
Thanks Prell.
