'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

A friend of mine sent this to me...

I don't know where it came from, but I thought you might enjoy the story anyway...

Merry Christmas!

- Prairie Pete

=======
Christmas Adventure with Grandma

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous, cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.

That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car."

Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's. I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's second grade class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat.

I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all us kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it.

It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's... for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons. The tag fell out of the coat and Grandma tucked it in her Bible.

Then she wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on the gift -- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. She drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby. Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.

That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: Ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the tag tucked inside: $9.95.

He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree.
=======

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all..."

"...WAZZZZUP?!!!"

Ok, It's only been a month since I updated my blog... at least I'm consistent!

I want to wish all a very Merry Christmas... remember to keep praying for peace... as I get older, I begin to realize that the more things change, the more things stay the same. I'm sure our elders were concerned for present, nostalgic for the past, and hopeful for the future... of course, I don't think they had the number of toys and/or distractions that we do now (as I'm writing this, I'm listening to the radio, watching the Food Network, surfing the 'net, and eating a peppermint candy cane... it is the holiday season, you know!)

To those of you who are traveling this holiday season, have a safe trip... to all, may your holiday season be filled with good food, good friends, and good health! Do something kind for someone who doesn't expect it... give your loved ones a hug and a kiss... keep praying that the world will know peace...

For those of you who are searching for meaning in your life... visit someone who is a shut in... play a game with a child... visit a church with a friend... since I work in a church, I've heard all about "it's nothing but a bunch of hypocrites... they say one thing on Sunday, and are just as bad or worse than anyone else the rest of the week."

To that, all I can say is - yes, you're right... we can be hypocritical... but churches are really meant to be, and should be, hospitals for sinners, not havens for saints... we gather, not to revel on how great we are, but bow our knees in awe and gratefulness that we have a God who loves us without condition... undeserved, unearned, unending.

If things aren't going right with you "behind the wheel," why not let the One who created you show you the way? I know, it's difficult to give up control... but I've found that when I'm large and in charge, I screw up royally! It's funny, but when I give up being in charge, that's when I find the most freedom, the most joy, the most peace... I don't understand it, either, but that's my experience!

Like the commercial used to say, "Try it... you'll like it!"

A blessed Christmas, and a healthy, happy, prosperous, and peaceful New Year to you all!

Peace!
Prairie Pete

Gems from Steven Wright...

Have you ever seen Steven Wright on "the telly?" He's the comedian with the deadpan delivery... you have to listen very carefully to what he says, but his observations crack me up!!! Here are a few of his classics... thanks for your intelligence, Mr. Wright!

= = = = = = =
I've posted these before, but they bear repeating!
= = = = = = =

"What's another word for 'thesaurus?'"

"For my birthday I got a humidifier and a dehumidifier. I put them in the same room and let them fight it out."

"I have a switch in my apartment that doesn't do anything. Every once in a while I turn it on and off. One day I got a call from a guy in France who said, 'Cut it out!'"

"I replaced the headlights on my car with strobe lights. Now it looks like I'm the only one moving."

"I wrote a song, but I can't read music. Every time I hear a new song on the radio, I think 'Hey, maybe I wrote that.'"

"I went to a general store, but they wouldn't let me buy anything specific."

= = = = = = =
Some more classics!
= = = = = = =

"I went for a walk last night and she asked me how long I was going to be gone. I said, 'The whole time.'"

"Hermits have no peer pressure."

"Whenever I think of the past, it brings back so many memories."

"There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot."

"How much deeper would the ocean be if sponges didn't live there?"

"I just got skylights put in my place. The people who live above me are furious."

"Imagine if birds were tickled by feathers."

"It doesn't matter what temperature a room is, it's always room temperature."

"I'm a peripheral visionary."

"I make my own water - two glasses of H, one glass of O."

"Ballerinas are always on their toes. Why don't they just get taller ballerinas?"

"I spilled Spot remover on my dog. Now he's gone."

"I bought some powdered water, but I didn't know what to add."

"I have a hobby. I have the world's largest collection of sea shells. I keep it scattered on beaches all over the world. Maybe you've seen some of it."

"I'm taking La Maze classes. I'm not having a baby, I'm just having trouble breathing."

= = = = = = =

Are you laughing yet? Laughing is good for your health, you know...