The Spirit of Christmas

Christmas is two days away, but for me, today was Christmas. I had the joy of introducing a pair of nine year old boys to the true spirit of the season.

The boys are my twin nephews Joshua and Jamie; but this morning I was "Miss Santa" and they were referred to as "elves", "Santa's helpers", and even "little Santas" a couple of times.

The occasion was the culmination of a week's worth of baking, when the boys and I loaded in my Mom's van with Santa hats atop our heads and 153 bags of assorted home-baked cookies and candies.

Our destination: two local nursing homes, full of sweet little old ladies and gents, and lots of cheerful staff. If you've never visited your local nursing home, I encourage you to do so. It needn't be Christmas, and you don't have to go bearing gifts. Some of these poor folks are all alone, and it brings tears to your eyes (good ones, of course) to see how their faces light up when they realize that you came to see them.

The boys were a bit slow getting into the swing of things--none of us had had time for breakfast, and had dragged ourselves out of bed to start the festivities at 8 a.m.

Both homes provided us with rolly carts to carry our hefty loads, as well as a list of diabetics. Being a diabetic myself, I know how awful it is to be deprived of goodies, and the pain is always greater during the holidays when temptation lurks at every turn. Unfortunately, the diabetic treats I was making last night didn't turn out so well, so I was forced to make an emergency run to Food World at 6:30 a.m. for four packs of sugar-free cookies from the bakery there. Then I rushed home to pop one down into each of the bags with the sugar-free candy and some smaller sugar-free cookies I had bought earlier in the week.

The regular folks were treated to oatmeal cookies (donated by my mom), turtleback cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's Hug mooshed down in the center while they were still warm. (I must confess that those last were very good, and this diabetic was tempted to one---or seven---during the two days of baking that particular variety. But as I made 239 total, the seven isn't really all that many when viewed as a percentage, now is it? Hehehehehehe!!)

As I said, the spirit was slow getting started, but eventually it became fun for the boys--though Joshua seemed to get into it more than Jamie did--I think Jamie is a bit shy. For Josh, the main turning point was when that first sweet little old lady asked him to come closer so she could see how cute he was in his santa hat with his twinkling blue eyes and adorable grin. She said "I've just got to have a hug", and I think my Joshy's heart overflowed right then and there--from then on, he started handing out hugs left and right. I think that the hugs were probably an even greater gift to many of those people than our small bag of cookies could ever be.

For me, the best part of the day was when we came across that one resident that didn't eat--ever--IV fluids were all she could have, I guess. Usually I have one of my Christmas pins I could have given her, but I hadn't taken the time to put one on that morning. I turned to Mom hopefully and asked her if she had one, or anything I could give the poor woman, but she was empty-handed as well. Then my dear sweet Joshy, seeing the dismay on my face, came up with a lovely solution. He pulled off his Santa hat and said "I want to give her my hat". WOW! "And a little child shall lead them." He carried it back to her room, and he and the nurse there helped her put it on. Later, Josh told me he saw her in the lobby showing it off for the residents. Isn't he a dear boy?

It took about an hour per home, so two hours later, all our feet were getting sore, and our bellies were rumbling with hunger, so we hurried home and Mom fixed us a big breakfast--a perfect ending to a perfect day--easily the best Christmas I have ever had--for as I said, today I showed a new generation the real meaning of Christmas...not the "me, me, me" or "I want, I want, I want", but the joyful giving of a generous heart--when a simple offering rebounds and the giver receives just as much, or more, than he gives. For me, this IS Christmas--in all its splendor.

May the joy of Christmas live in your heart each and every day of the year!!

© Friskyangel (SAB) December 22, 2000