Christmastime

Another Christmas has come and gone in the blink of the eye. Though the season has ended, the spirit of the season should not. As Scrooge says after his epiphany, "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." So should we all. Peace, joy, goodwill, and giving are the hallmarks of the season, but they should be practiced all year.

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. This is always such a wonderful time of the year. The spirit of peace, goodwill, and giving to others is in the air. If only this spirit could last all the year. I get great pleasure in the giving to others. This year, as I have been doing for the last few years, I donated to Toys for Tots. I like the the thought that the toys I donate will brighten the Christmas for children who may otherwise receive nothing. It is even more important in these hard economic times when the need is greatest.

The spirit of this season encouraged me to commit a random act of kindness. I cleaned out my closet to get rid of clothes I no longer wanted or needed. I had a nice, warm jacket and some shirts, and decided to give them to a needy person. Whenever I went out in my van, I looked out for a homeless person to give them to. I could not seem to find anyone. But, yesterday, Ernie (my nurse), and I pulled into a parking lot along the San Diego waterfront to wait till my brother's plane arrived at Lindbergh Field. As we pulled in to the parking lot we spotted a homeless man walking along the waterfront. He was all alone and was talking to himself. I had found, my recipient of my random act of kindness. Ernie, and I approached him and asked if he needed a jacket and some shirts. He said yes and we handed over the clothes. He was so grateful and couldn't stop thanking me. My small gesture was a big deal for him.

He was down and out with no permanent place to live, and living out of motels. We listened politely to his paranoid story that the government was after him because he was an assassin. Even though his story was crazy, we stayed a little while longer to listen to him. We took away some off his loneliness for a brief time It felt good for him to have someone to talk to. I felt great the rest of the day knowing that I had helped a person in need. It may have been a small gesture, but it brightened some one's day. That made it well worth it.

I would encourage all of you to commit a random of kindness, no matter how small a gesture it may be. It is a great feeling and is part of the spirit of giving of this season. But, all through the year this spirit should be encouraged.

It's Christmastime

Christmastime is upon us again. Where did the time go? This is one of my favorite times of the year. I like the spirit of giving, peace, and goodwill that is a hallmark of this season. As a child, Christmas was the highlight of the year, and I was always excited at what gifts I would get. But, as I got older, I realized that the giving of gifts was far more rewarding. Opening gifts is a short term pleasure: once they are opened, the excitement wears off. But, the pleasure of giving lasts much longer. I get much pleasure seeing the joy in the eyes of my niece and nephews when they open the gifts from me. This year again I donated toys to Toys for Tots, a wonderful charity. It gives me pleasure knowing that children, who may have gone without toys on Christmas, will get toys because of my donations. Besides the giving, this is also a time to get together with family and friends; it would not be the same without them. My thoughts go out to those who are alone this time of year and wish they can find some joy. Merry Christmas to all.

Christmas

Another Christmas has come and gone. It is always a bit of a let down when it is over. I wish it could last longer. But, if it lasted too long it would not be as special. I try to keep the spirit of Christmas alive all year. The world is in need of more peace, love, and goodwill.

On Christmas my family attended a church service at the Village (Presbyterian) Church in town. I am not a church going person, but I went because my niece, and nephews were taking part in the children's Christmas pageant. Also, my family was chosen to light the advent candles and sing a song. My mother, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephews belong to the church. I am a lapsed member; my father and brother never were. Since my father never attends church, my mom jokes that people think she's not married; they probably didn't know my brother existed until tonight. It was enjoyable to see the kids act out the story of the nativity and sing. They forgot their lines a few times, and the donkeys were wrestling and pulling each other's tails. My niece, Dallas had a solo singing and my nephew, Sterling had a speaking part and a singing solo; my other nephew, Stetson was one of the shepards. I was so proud of them. In the minister's sermon, he said that it would not be Christmas without children. How true that is.

After church we returned home for a small family gathering. My Uncle Richard and Aunt Carol stopped by. My cousin Greg and his wife Teresa and their kids Shannon and Rory came. Last was my cousin Toby, his wife Yada and their five week old daughter Mel (Mel means honey in Portuguese; the mother is from Brazil). We sat around the dining table eating a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner which has always been our custom. My mom likes to keep alive the traditions of her homeland. I miss not being able to eat it. There was a lot of talking, reminiscing, joking, and laughing. The kids were bouncing off the walls with the anticipation of the presents to be opened. The wait must have seemed like an eternity. When they finally got around to opening gifts, it was a chaotic whirl of ripping wrapping paper and bouncing kids. It is so nice to see the joy in the faces of the children.

Christmas Day my sister, her husband and their kids came back to open more gifts and spend the rest of the day with us. It was another nice Christmas.

Christmastime

Merry Christmas! I can't believe Christmas is only four days away. Where has the time gone? Christmas seems to arrive quicker the older I get. It comes and goes too fast. I wish it could last a little bit longer.

This is my favorite time of year. I just love the Christmas spirit of peace, goodwill, and giving. It would be great if this spirit lasted all year round. I also like that it is a great excuse to gather together family and to see friends.

Other things I like about Christmas:

• The music. It really gets me in the Christmas spirit. Songs such as Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, The Christmas Song, I'll Be Home for Christmas, White Christmas, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, Happy Xmas (War is Over), Feliz Navidad, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, A Holly Jolly Christmas, Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Winter Wonderland, and Silver Bells. But, I could go on and on.


• The decorations. There is something joyful about seeing houses, trees, yards and buildings festooned with colored lights and decorations. It brings out my inner child and brings a smile to my face. Seeing the Christmas tree adorned with lights and decorations and colored packages arrayed around it gives me a warm feeling inside.


• The Christmas shows. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Story, A Christmas Carol, and the music programs on PBS and other stations. It would not be Christmas without them.


• Seeing the excitement and joy in my niece and nephews at Christmastime. It brings back memories of Christmastime as a wide-eyed and excited child waiting for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to come. The arrival of Santa Claus bearing gifts on Christmas Eve was the height of excitement for me.

Above are pictures of Lucky enjoying the season. He's had fun climbing the Christmas tree, swatting ornaments around, or running away with them in his mouth. He must think we filled the house with decorations just for him to play with.

Toys for Tots

Today I donated gifts to Toys for Tots; one of my favorite charities. It is such a great cause. But, I was saddened to hear that donations were down this season. The uncertain state of the economy is making people less eager to give. But, at least there are still toys to give away to poor children. Just not as many as they would like. I like the thought that the toys I donate go to children that may not have gifts to open on Christmas. It is always a nice feeling to give, especially to those who are less fortunate. As I have grown older I have realized that it is better to give than receive. That is the spirit of Christmas. If you are looking for a good cause to donate to, Toys for Tots is the one.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer

Last night I went with my father and nurse, Ernie to visit my sister, niece, and nephews at their home. My brother-in-law was out for the evening, and my mother was at rehearsal for the choral group she belongs to. It gave me more one on one time with my sister. We all gathered around the television to watch the beloved Christmas (Am I still allowed to use that word? I hope the politically correct crowd doesn't get after me) classic Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. It is still my favorite Christmas show. It always brings up fond memories of my childhood when my parents would gather my brother, sister, and I in our pajamas in the den to watch the Christmas shows on television. It makes me smile to think of it. I like that my sister is carrying on the tradition with her children.

The reason I have always liked Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is because I could relate to him. It is about being different and not fitting in; a theme I am well aquainted with as a disabled person. I remember as a child being excluded because I was not like everybody else and being made fun of. The nice part is that in the end Rudolph is accepted by the community despite the fact that he is different. It is a good lesson for life.