(Courtesy
of Sherrie whose friend in Winnipeg sent it to her)
“I
remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a
kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit it 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 rumour
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 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 minutes I just stood there, confused, clutching
that ten-dollar bill and wondering what to buy...and who on earth to
buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew...my family...my
friends...my neighbours...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 grade two class. Bobby Decker didn't
have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess in the
winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he
had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a
cough; he didn't have a good 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? kindly asked the lady behind
the counter...as
I laid my ten dollars down. “Yes, ma'am,” I replied shyly.
“It's for Bobby.”
The
nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a
good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a
bag...smiled again...and wished me Merry Christmas.
“That
evening, when Grandma helped me to wrap the coat, a little tag fell
out of the coat bag, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible. Wrapped in
Christmas paper and ribbon, Grandma attached a small gift tag
saying...To
Bobby, from Santa Claus
on
it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she
drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I
was officially
now and forever, one of Santa's helpers.
“Grandma
parked down the street from Bobby's house...she and I crept
noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma
gave me a nudge. All
right, Santa Claus, get going! I
took a deep breath...dashed to his front door...threw the present
down on the front step...pounded on his door...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 rumours 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 Grandma's Bible with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.”
May you always have Love to share,
Health to spare...and Friends that care.
And, may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!
Fact
about St. Nicholas Day ~ December 6
History
of the Man and Myth: According to Bishop Nicholas of Myra in Asia
Minor (modern-day Turkey), 'Nicholas'
was
a devout 4th-century Christian figure (of Greek descent) whose
charitable acts and compassion for the needy, especially chidren,
brought him 'sainthood'
as his popularity spread across Europe during the Middle Ages. The
anniversary of his death, December 6, 343, is known as St.
Nicholas Day...and
is still widely celebrated in eastern and western Europe, as the main
day of gift-giving and holiday merriment.
The
Twelve Days of Christmas...
is
an English Christmas carol (published in 1780 without music) that
enumerates in the manner of a cumulative song, a series of
increasingly great gifts given on each of the Twelve
Days of Christmas beginning
December 1st.
The standard tune, now associated with it, is derived from a 1909
arrangement of a traditional folk melody by English composer Frederic
Austin.
Here's How Much the “12 Days of Christmas Gifts Would Cost in
2015
(Thanks to Sherrie for this calculation)
If someone bought you all these presents, then that would really
be 'true love'!
If one's 'true love' bought all of the gifts mentioned in the song's
final verse,
then
the bill would come out to: $34,130.99...up from $33,933.22 in 2014
~
making 2015 the priciest year yet.
Partridge
$25...Pear
Tree
$189.99...A
Partridge in a Pear Tree
$214.99...2
Turtle Doves
$290;
3
French Hens
$181.50...4
Calling Birds
$599.96...5
Gold Rings
$750...6
Geese-a-laying
$360;
7
Swans-a-Swimming
$13,125...8
Maids-a-Milking
$58...9
Ladies Dancing
$7,552.84...
10
Lords-a-Leaping
$5,508.70...11
Pipers Piping
$2,635.20...12
Drummers Drumming
$2,854.80.
The foregoing calculations are based on data
from retailers, hatcheries, the Philadelphia dance company PHILADANCO
and the Pennsylvania Ballet Company.
Here's how the Pittsburgh-based bank explained the rationale for some
of the notable price changes:
“Nine
of the 12 items in the index maintained their cost this year. The
cost of a 'Partridge in a Pear Tree' rose 3.5 %, primarily due to the
Partridges' growing popularity as a gourmet food and in backyard
farming. Turtle Doves are up 11.5 % due to increased grain prices...
and Lords-a-Leaping rose 3 % due to an increase in salaries.”
Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...November 30, 2015
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