Month: December 2016

There’s only a few days left until the New Year and less than that until Christmas. It’s funny how the signs of the times shape your views of Holidays. Question: What was the best Christmas ever for you? Was it when you got gifts galore? Was it when you got exactly what you wanted? Were you in love or away for the Holiday? For me, my best Christmas ever was like this.

Me and Mom were very poor; it was only us two, (I’m a product of a broken home). It was very hard on Mom trying to make ends meet; however, for the illustration of this story I’m going to start by letting you know I was about too turn 14 years old at the time which was some 54+ years ago.

Mom doesn’t and never had a good education; she was raised in an era when most women her age who finished high school or not got married. In fact, she was told you don’t waste a college education on a woman because she’s only going to get married and not use it anyway. It was a time when a one income family was the norm, a time when men did the work and were the breadwinners not women. Men worked someplace doing something; pride was not an issue and it never came into play since there were jobs, and many men worked more than one. The United States was a manufacturing Nation but today we don’t manufacture too much of anything so the middleclass is eroding. But here’s me and Mom in Detroit by way of Chicago this year alone on Christmas Eve-eve and with nothing; no tree, gifts, or anything.

Mom made $25 a week in those days and I stocked shelves at a small grocery store. Rent was $100 a month (you do the math); it was tough, real tough. We combined our money to get by but let me get back on point.

It was about 8 o’clock Christmas Eve-eve night when there was a knock on the door. I went to answer it and to my surprise there were some Boy Scouts at the door with a Christmas tree asking if I wanted it. I thought, how nice and how this would please Mom because she was very religious; a born again Christian and heck, it’s Jesus’ birthday we’re celebrating so I yelled, ” Mom some guys are here with a Christmas tree can we have it cause they’re just giving it away?” Well, she said, Okay, so they brought it up, we lived in an upstairs flat, they even set it up. I remember how good it smelled and me and Mom was so happy we could just cry. It was practically impossible to hold back the tears. We thanked the Scouts and they left because they said they had more to do. Me and Mom just stared at that tree as it gradually fell into shape the rest of the night and eventually we falling asleep where we sat.

The next day Christmas Eve, Mom wrapped empty boxes that we saved for something or other with paper bags, (plastic bags were not yet invented so you saved a lot of your paper bags for cleanup and storage), and put them under the tree. That night it began to snow; you could see the flakes through the window, big flakes. It was enough snow to cover the grass and was very pretty. Mom made some hot pet milk with sugar and water that she poured into coffee cups which made a very nice, warm Christmas Eve drink. We felt very blessed and very happy as we raised our cups and said, “Happy birthday Jesus.”

That was the best Christmas I ever had. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody.

Gaidi

Christmas is that time of year for good stories and I’ve got one. I once told the story about the best Christmas I ever had. Some of you may remember it was about the Boy Scouts bringing me and Mom a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve which was it for Christmas that year, but this story tops it. I’ll post my best Christmas ever in a few days. Anyway, I’ve been playing Santa Claus for a preschool (the Head Start Program) for a while but this one year I got floored.

I got to school for the traditional breakfast with Santa. It was early and the children were just trickling in when I drove up and came face-to-face with this particular young lad, a preschooler walking to the door with his mother. I was in my Santa suit so the lad was at ease to say, “Santa! They said you’d be coming here today and I got you a gift.” I replied in character, “Merry Christmas Son; thank you.” His Mother suggested, (and we’ll call the lad Kaleb for this story) “Kaleb, since Santa’s here why don’t you and he go inside together and I’ll see you later. Kaleb looked at me asking, “Where’s your reindeer?” I answered, “Only on Christmas Eve Kaleb; other than that day I’ll use whatever transportation’s available to get me where I’ve got to go.

Once inside the school I asked Kaleb which way should we go, upstairs or down, but Kaleb looked at me puzzled, “You don’t know do you? Down Santa, we go downstairs.” So, we went downstairs and some teachers greeted us saying, “Santa you’re here.” Again, I said Merry Christmas and after some exchanges and instruction I let them know I was going upstairs to let the other teachers know I was here but Kaleb interrupted reminding me, “Santa your gift!”

I let Kaleb know that it was okay to leave the gift he had for me here until the end of the day, that way I wouldn’t forget it but the look on his face after I said that was the look of total rejection. His head bowed down and his bottom lip poked out hurt by my statement and my re-actions about his request. His teachers asked him what was wrong but he paused a very noticeable and deliberate pause answering under his breath, “Nothing”, but of course we all knew different.

After about sixty children giving me hugs as I played Santa, giving them candy canes; asking them their names, would they like to take a picture with me, what they wanted for Christmas, look at the camera and on the count of three say Merry Christmas and so on and so forth, Kaleb’s class came into the picture room.

When it was Kaleb’s turn to get his picture taken he raced up to me; “Santa!”  He greeted me all excited, like he’d just found his best friend, and I was just as excited with him. I went through my routine with Kaleb as I did with every child but when I asked him what he wanted for Christmas he stared at me and question, “Santa, why do you have a beard?” And my answer was, “Where I live it keeps me warm;” then Kaleb answered, “I want a car. I love cars, I play with the cars here at school all the time but I can’t take any of them home.” Next he said, “I don’t have one so I want a car to play with at home for Christmas.” ( I shouldn’t have to tell any of you my reply but in case I do), I told him, “We’re going to work hard on that son.”

After about sixty more children things begin to slow down. A teacher came up to me saying Kaleb had to go; his mom was in a hurry but he was so insisted on giving you this gift. We told him don’t worry we’ll give your gift to Santa Claus, we promise, we won’t forget.

I opened up the poorly wrapped gift and after seeing what was inside my chin fell to the floor. Inside of a partially covered tissue box was a car; a car submerged inside bundles of tissue, the kind of car Kaleb could play with for hours. I glanced back and forth at the car and the teachers to everyone’s surprise as they explained in shock. They were shaking their heads while telling me; all the children got a Santa package yesterday and we put a toy in each package. “We knew Kaleb’s love of cars so we put a car in his package–that one, but don’t keep it because we’ll give it back, we’re going to give that car back to him.” I was stunned and lost for words. All I could say was okay but I wanted that car. Then I mumbled, “Don’t give this one back to Kaleb get another; find another child outside of this school to give it too.”

Yah see, Kaleb gave up the thing he loved the most, the thing he wanted more than anyone could imagine, the thing he wish for, dreamed of and spoke about everyday but gave it away to someone he considered special. It didn’t matter to him that he was going to miss what he loved so much. The only thing that mattered was he felt Santa would love the car just as he, and Santa did. Kaleb didn’t feel he was losing anything as long as he could make a difference in Santa’s life; it was about how he felt in his young heart, that unconditional love he was too young explain or understand but those feelings inside were worth more to him wanting to give a gift to Santa even though the gift was all he wanted and loved but thought Santa would like also rather than how he’d feel later in a quiet moment of self-pleasure. What a lesson we were all getting and it was being taught by a preschooler who wasn’t there. His mother came and got him and took him someplace else. Thank God because none of us would’ve been capable of acting as spontaneous as we were acting, all emotional and sensitive inside the moment. We may have done the wrong thing.

Giving back that car would have crush Kaleb I said misty-eyed. You can’t give that car back to Kaleb if you understand absolute and unrestricted love, if you’ve ever loved someone with all your heart and soul, if that someone you love meant more to you than your own wants, desires, needs and happiness, and it’s only their joy that’ll make you feel meaningful, besides that’s all that mattered most if you understood what Kaleb did. Some of us never will get it, or even think to do such a courageous act of love. Kaleb gave more that Christmas then Santa; it kind of reminds me of the Widow’s mite, (Mark 12:41-44).

My prayers and many thanks go out to Kaleb this Christmas and for all of my Christmas’ forever more. What a young man. What an example for all of us and Mankind. Merry Christmas everyone especially you Kaleb for making mine this year and every year to come from now on special with the greatest gift of all, the gift to love someone. Merry Christmas and praise be to God for His sacred, blessed, holy and beloved Son Jesus, my Lord, my savior, my God. Merry Christmas everyone, have a safe and prosperous New Year; love to you all.

Gaidi

Word of note: Love is a choice not an emotion and if someone chooses to love you cherish it, there’s no better feeling and you’ll miss it if they ever chose to stop.