Twas the night before Christmas, when all thru the abode
Only one creature was stirring, & she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds, while
visions of Nintendo 64 & Barbie, flipped through their heads.
The dad was snoring in front of the TV,
with a half-constructed bicycle propped on his knee.
So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
which made her sigh, “Now what is the matter?”
With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
She descended the stairs, & saw the old man.
He was covered with ashes & soot, which fell with a shrug,
“Oh great,” muttered the mom, “Now I have to clean the rug.”
“Ho Ho Ho!” cried Santa, “I’m glad you’re awake.”
“your gift was especially difficult to make.”
“Thanks, Santa, but all I want is time alone.”
“Exactly!” he chuckled, “So, I’ve made you a clone.”
“A clone?” she muttered, “What good is that?”
“Run along, Santa, I’ve no time for chit chat.”
Then out walked the clone - The mother’s twin,
Same hair, same eyes, same double chin.
“She’ll cook, she’ll dust, she’ll mop every mess.
You’ll relax, take it easy, watch The Young & The Restless.”
“Fantastic!” the mom cheered. “My dream has come true!”
“I’ll shop, I’ll read, I’ll sleep a night through!”
“From the room above, the youngest did fret.
“Mommy?! Come quickly, I’m scared & I’m wet.”
The clone replied, “I’m coming, sweetheart.”
“Hey,” the mom smiled, “She sure knows her part.”
The clone changed the small one & hummed her tune,
as she bundled the child in a blanket cocoon.
“You’re the best mommy ever. I really love you.”
The clone smiled & sighed, “And I love you, too.”
The mom frowned & said, “Sorry, Santa, no deal.”
That’s my child’s LOVE she is trying to steal.”
Smiling wisely Santa said, “To me it is clear,
Only one loving mother is needed here.”
The mom kissed her child & tucked her in bed.
“Thank You, Santa, for clearing my head.
I sometimes forget, it won’t be very long,
when they’ll be too old for my cradle & song.”
The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, “It works every time.”
With the clone by his side Santa said “Goodnight.
Merry Christmas, dear Mom, You will be all right.”

ARTICLE

Stress the spiritual side of holidays. Try to balance the commercialism of the holiday season with activities that underscore its deeper meaning. Volunteer at a local charity. Donate food, clothing, or toys to a shelter, and have your child do the same by choosing a few items she no longer plays with. Participate in church or synagogue events centered on holiday themes. On the fun side, share some holiday crafts with your child: Create a homemade nativity scene out of cardboard and fill it with little dolls… or make a Kwanzaa kinara to hold the symbolic candles representing the principles of the holiday -- unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

How to raise a spiritual child
December, 2004. MSN Family – Raising Kids

Comment: Even non-Christians recognize that many Christians have lost the spiritual side of Christmas. I would put faith first on the list. Let the acts of charity flow out of God's charity to us as we meditate on the infinite sharing in our finite lives, so we can enjoy the infinity of eternity.

STORY

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and, to my surprise, St. Nicholas himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed a finger over his mouth so I would not cry out.

“What are you doing?” I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manor was gone. Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement, “TEACH THE CHILDREN.”

I was puzzled; what did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood there bewildered, St. Nicholas said, “Teach the children! Teach them the meaning of Christmas. The meaning that children now-a-days have forgotten!”

St. Nicholas then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. “Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year around, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man’s thoughts toward heaven.”

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. “Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a savior for the world, and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise.”

He then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. “Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of Him who displaced the darkness.”

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. “Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection.”

He then pulled out from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF. “Teach the children that I, St. Nicholas, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December.”

He reached in again and pulled out a HOLLY LEAF. “Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the Crown of Thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him.”

Next he pulled out a GIFT from the bag and said, “Teach the children that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...” “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Teach the children that the Wise Men bowed before the Holy Babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit as the Wise Men.”

St. Nicholas reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. “Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds rook. The crook on the shepherds staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother’s keeper.”

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. “Teach the children that it was the Angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior’s birth. The angels sang Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, from his bag he pulled out a BELL. “Teach the children that the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should bring man to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.”

St. Nicholas looked back at the tree and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, “Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas, and to not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One That Is, and I bow down and worship Him, our “Lord, our God.”

STORY

Several years ago, after Christmas Day services, I visited a shut-in couple in Winslow, Arizona. He was 94 and she was 91. When I walked into their home that Christmas Day there was not a single evidence of Christmas. There were no Christmas decorations, no tree or lights, no bulbs or cards on display. They were poor people. To keep warm that day they were sitting with their feet propped up over a grate in the floor that was the only source of heat in the house. They both had blankets wrapped over their legs. It was in that setting that I pulled up a chair, sat down next to them and began to read the familiar Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. About six or seven verses into the account I looked up and tears were streaming down the cheeks of both the man and his wife.

It is impossible for me to forget that Christmas for two reasons. First, because it so impressed upon me the fact that even if all the externals of Christmas are gone, even if family members are absent, yes, even when the quality of life is diminished, the message “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you” is still the same and that message can still bring tears of joy to our eyes and peace and hope to our hearts. Secondly, that Christmas brought home what a privilege God had given me to be able to be a part in bringing that Christmas message with all of its joy and hope into someone else’s life.

(London) A 162-year-old Christmas card, one of the first commercial cards produced for the season, sold at auction in England on Saturday for $16,000.

The hand-colored card, which shows a family celebrating around a table, is one of about 10 surviving from an original batch of 1,000 printed in 1843.

The cards were commissioned by Londoner Sir Henry Cole, who is generally recognized as the inventor of the commercial Christmas card.

…The card was originally sent to a Miss Mary Tripsack, a close friend of the poet Elizabeth Barrett, wife of poet Robert Browning. “We don’t know who sent it to Miss Tripsack. We can only assume that they must have been of means as cards were a novelty at the time,” said Aldridge (the auctioneer).

…Cole printed 1,000 of the cards on a lithograph stone before having them hand-colored.

One of the First Christmas Cards Auctioned
December 3, 2005. Associated Press – Oddly Enough

Comment: They don't know who sent that Christmas card so long ago. The person who sent it and the person who received it are long gone. But if we go back to the original Christmas message of the angels to the shepherds, we know the angels are still around and I'm sure those shepherds never forgot or lost their faith. They number among the saints. And it is all recorded so that we can keep on celebrating Christmas year after year, knowing the message never gets old.