CHRISTmas

Well, another CHRISTmas has come and is almost over.  What a great day!  It is wonderful to serve a great Lord that can remind us through His birth that a baby can bring out the best in everyone.

I can remember believing in Santa for a long time and then the kids at school would laugh and joke on me about believing in Santa and that was so babyish.  When I was a teenager all I wanted for Christmas was an Atari system (yes it was 1979).  My mom was a single parent and we had just moved across the country for her to take a new job.  I knew that my mom could get us one if she really wanted to, she always came through before with some help from Santa.  It was a few days from Christmas and she sat me down to say that she didn’t want me to be disappointed but there was no way should could afford the prices they were wanting for the systems that close to Christmas.  I cried, but I understood.  I also prayed really hard.

Christmas morning came and as usual I was awake at 4am making coffee, starting a fire in the fireplace, and flushing the toilet in the hallway to wakeup my mom and my sister.  That was a 30 minute effort.   But they finally decided they wanted to be just as awake as I was, they just weren’t as excited as me and maybe a bit grumpy.  Oh well, they got over it.  Our tree was placed in the bay window of our house and there were lots of gifts from Santa under the tree.  I had pretty much forgotten about the Atari because all the other stuff looked great.  We opened presents and had fun with everything, it was a blast.  My mom said it would be nice to see the outside and watch the folks drive by on the highway on Christmas morning so she proceeded to open the curtains at the bay window.  Those curtains were like the Price is Right revealing the grand prize car.  There, all opened and covered with game cartridges, was an Atari 2600 and the controllers.  Santa was real!  I believed and he delivered.  I screamed and hugged my mom so much.  What a great Christmas!

I played that Atari all day.  The games were fantastic.  My mom came and sat with me that night and asked me how I liked it.  I remember telling her I couldn’t believe that we actually got it.  She asked me if I would like to know how it came about.  Seemed like a harmless thing so I said sure.  Well, come to find out that someone she worked with had purchased it for their daughter who was my age at the time for a Christmas present.  Two days before Christmas she was killed in an auto accident and they wanted to find it a good home and get the presents out of their house.  They knew my mom was looking for one and couldn’t afford the cost at the stores so they sold it to her a lot less.  You can only imagine the tears that flowed down my face when she revealed the truth behind the gift.  It only made me treasure it so much more.

I never quit believing in Santa.  There may not be the person of Santa but there is the belief that all things are possible.  As I have grown to know the Lord as an Adult I still believe in Santa.  But, I believe that it is the Lord that gives us what we need as well as sometimes what we want.  My belief in the Lord has been so much stronger and His blessings to me to provide a Santa to my child only remind of the AWESOMENESS of my God and His love.  With Him, all things are possible.

Merry CHRISTmas!