Unicorn (Unicorn@Indenial.com)
Sun, 27 Dec 1998 13:29:30 -0500
"Recipe for Christmas Joy"
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Hugs
4 tsp Kisses
2 cups Smiles
4 cups Love
1 cup Special Holiday Cheer
1/2 cup Peace on Earth
3 tsp Christmas Spirit
2 cups Goodwill Toward Man
1 Sprig of Mistletoe
1 medium-size bag of Christmas Snowflakes
(the regular kind won't do!)
Method:
Mix Hugs, Kisses, Smiles and Love until consistent.
Blend in Holiday Cheer, Peace on Earth, Christmas
Spirit and the Good Will toward Men. Use the mixture
to fill a large, warm heart, where it can be stored
for a lifetime. (It never goes bad!)
Serve as desired under mistletoe, sprinkled liberally
with special Christmas Snowflakes.
It is especially good when accompanied by Christmas
Carols and family get-togethers.
Serve to one and all.
***********************************************************
"Almie Rose"
It was at least two months before Christmas, when
nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me that
she wanted a new bicycle. Her old Barbie bicycle
was just too babyish, and besides it needed a new tire.
As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle
seemed to fade-- or so we thought, as she didn't mention
it again. Merrily, we started purchasing the latest rage--
Baby-Sitter's Club dollsand beautiful story books, a doll
house, a holiday dress and toys. Then, much to our
surprise, on December 23rd she proudly announced that
she "really wanted a bike more than anything else."
Now we didn't know what to do. It was just too late, what
with all the details of preparing Christmas dinner and
buying last-minute gifts, to take the time to select the "right
bike" for our little girl. So here we were--Christmas Eve
around 9pm, having just returned from a wonderful party,
contemplating our evening ahead...hours of wrapping
children's presents, parent's presents, a brother's presents
and friend's presents. With Almie Rose and her six-year-old
brother, Dylan, nestled snug in their beds, we could now
think only of the bike, the guilt and the idea that we were
parents who would disappoint their child.
That's when my husband, Ron, was inspired. "What if I
make a little bicycle out of clay and write a note that she
could trade the clay model in for a real bike?" The theory,
of course, being that since this is a high-ticket item and she
is "such a big girl," it would be much better for her to pick it
out. So he spent the next five hours painstakingly working
with clay to create a miniature bike.
Three hours later, on Christmas morning, we were so
excited for Almie Rose to open the little heart-shaped
package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the
note. Finally, she opened and read the note aloud.
She looked at me and then at Ron and said, "So, does
this mean that I trade in this bike that Daddy made me for
a real one?"
Beaming, I said, "YES."
Almie Rose had tears in her eyes when she replied, "I
could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made
me. I'd rather keep this than get a real bike."
At that moment, we would have moved Heaven and Earth
to buy her every bicycle on the planet!
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Mon Dec 28 1998 - 09:00:03 EST