Hi Eric,

I just received this letter from Santa this morning. We do this each and every year and it warms my heart.

Dear Christina,

As you know, each year I present “The First Gift of Christmas” on Thanksgiving Eve to a deserving child who needs a reason to “believe”. This takes place in front of more than 30,000 people during the "Christmas in the Sky" event in Kansas City. This year, the first gift of Christmas was to be presented to Brooklyn, a very sweet four year old girl with severe health issues.

This year, I rode into the event on the back of a three-wheel red motorcycle and made my way to the stage where I read The Night Before Christmas to a group of kids sitting on the stage. Right by my chair was Brooklynn, sitting in her mother’s lap. She was just a little angel and her eyes were big and she just stared at me the whole time. After reading the book, I called her name to receive the First Gift of Christmas. She pulled out “The Polar Express” book first from my bag and she thought that was her gift. But I called her back and reached into my bag and presented “Santa’s Classic Gift Set” to her. She said, "Is this for me, Santa?" in just the sweetest little voice. I told her it was and she opened it and her eyes were like saucers when I told her it was a silver bell from Santa’s sleigh. I asked her to ring it so everyone could hear it and she did with the biggest smile on her face. Then she looked at me and said, "Thank you, Santa." It was just precious.

Her mother tells me that the bell never leaves her sight and goes everywhere with her. Please know that you do make a huge difference. The children know what the bell means and for those of us who are still children at heart it means even more. So, thank you first for creating such wonderful bells and for donating them to these wonderful children.

I wish you much success — Santa needs you! And thank you again, for everything you have done to add joy and magic to the lives of us all.

~ Santa

Best wishes,

Christina Frueh

—-

Christina is a new found friend who owns the business that helps donate the Magical Bell that became the dear possession of Miss Brooklynn.  Please support Christina’s business.  What they do is a powerful testament to the spirit of Christmas!

@SantaBells on Twitter

IMPACT FACTORY, LLC
26504 Bouquet Canyon Road, Suite 172
Santa Clarita, California 91350 
Phone: 818-246-7166 Fax: 818-206-5739
www.impactfactory.net
Magical Bells Sleigh Bell Products are an exclusive product of IMPACT FACTORY, LLC
http://www.magicalbells.com/

How I Saw Christ On Christmas Day

The cafeteria was barren.  It was usually filled with people at lunch time.  It was so empty, except for just a handful of people…and me.

Most of you were at home or visiting family.  You were having festive lunches and dinners that day.   Around me there were a few smiles, but most of the faces showed

• sadness,
• concern,
• fear,
• fatigue, and, in a few cases,
• seemingly limitless horror.

It was just another day at work…only on Christmas Day.

The concept may seem simply awful to you…working on Christmas Day.  It wasn’t so bad.  My family had made holiday plans for the following week.  Everyone else in my department needed off to host family or work at church.  I had done my last service the night before, on Christmas Eve, and just kept on working…

I still had to to justify it within. I was, after all, working on Christmas Day.  My simple decision that day was to make the best of it.

How, exactly, does one make the best of working on Christmas Day?

My simple answer was to think of others as I believe that Christ think of you and me.  I was determined, at least, to try it.

I took candy and Christmas cards to work.  Every nurses’ station got a card.  I left one in the security office.  I put one in the housekeepers’ lounge.  I gave candy to anyone who would accept it.  I sang!  I laughed! Co-workers, patients and visitors often sang and laughed…with me or at me?  That really doesn’t matter…

We also sighed, together.  Some of us cried, together.  A few of us asked, "Lord, why today?"

That was a day of firsts:

• That was the first time I had ever worked on Christmas Day.
• It was the first time I had ever consoled a grieving family on Christmas Day.
• It was the first time I held someone’s hand as they died on Christmas Day.
• It was the first time I prayed with a family at the death of a loved one on Christmas Day.
• It was the first time I encountered the Risen Christ on Christmas Day.

Where, exactly, had I seen Jesus?

He wasn’t in the decorations, the carols, the presents, the candy, or the cookies.  Frankly, I had never seen him in those things, anyway, and haven’t to this day.

On that Christmas Day, I found Jesus

• in the faces of housekeepers doing their informal counseling as they cleaned;
• in the hands of maintenance technicians as they changed light bulbs;
• in the faces of security officers as they showed compassion to the distraught;
• in the faces of patients as they suffered;
• in the faces of family members as they prayed "let this cup pass from us…"
• in the faces of visitors who took time, on Christmas Day, to think of someone else;
• in the hands of medical technicians;
• in the hands of nurses;
• in the faces of a few doctors who didn’t begrudge their presence that day; and, I pray,
• in the face of the only chaplain working that day.

I’m pretty certain about all of those sightings of Jesus, except the last one.  I thought about stopping to thoroughly check the chaplain’s face, but was too enthralled with all the other appearances of Christ on Christmas Day to look in the mirror.

I hope those who saw me, the chaplain, really saw him …the Christ.  I hope my prayers, my presence, my tears, my hugs, my words, and even the candy and cards I handed out, aren’t remembered as mine.  I hope they are remembered as his.

That was the first time I had ever really encountered Christ on Christmas Day. 
I have yet to see him in the festive decorations.  I have never seen him in presents under a tree.  Even though I know the origin of the custom, I have never seen him in stockings hung on the mantle.  I have never seen him in a rich holiday dinner, unless it’s served to Christ, himself, in the person of one who is usually without.

I like holidays. I like to spend them with my family, just like most of you.  That causes me a problem…

I have seen Christ on Christmas Day!

Without Christ, the traditions seem fun and refreshing, but they lack that healing, saving,forgiving, grace-filled quality that Jesus brings to the table.  So, I struggle…torn believe loves.  I love my family and want to be with them in celebration.  I love my Savior and want to be with him on the day that bears his name.

I have seen Christ on Christmas Day!

May he show us the way both to experience and be his presence on that day…and all the others.

Blessings,
/jmt

—–

J. Michael Thurman and I have been friends for many, many years.  We began our journey in 1989 and our lives have crossed many times over the years.

I have great respect for Mike.  I am honored that I am considered his friend.

You can follow Mike’s journey and teachings at faith.jmichaelthurman.com

This is just an insert,  if you will.  But I felt compelled that this message needed to be sent today.

It’s often that we get tied up in the hustle and bustle of daily life, especially during the Holiday season, to overlook the fact that someone might not be having Christmas at all this year.

It weighs heavy on my heart to share with you this link for you to consider.

Give with a thankful heart this Christmas season.  A little one needs to know what the Spirit of Christmas is all about.

Growing up, all I wanted for Christmas was my Dad to spend all day Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us.

Every year he would ask me for a list of things I would like for Christmas and I would write the same thing, “Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with you, a fire burning and Christmas movies.”

As I got older I didn’t have time for family. I needed my parents to write a story about me in high school and Dad handed me the story on Christmas Eve. He said I was the most unselfish person he knew and wrote all I ever asked for was his time….. It was interesting that he gave me note this when I was being the most selfish.

Now that I have children he nudges me and reminds me to slow down all they want is my time. Don’t let Christmas me Santa-mas….

Renee Durham

Fort Smith, AR

——

Renee and I have known each other since the early 1990’s. We started out as the employee / boss relationship. Over the years she has become one of the best friends I have in this world. I have nothing but tremendous respect for her (and her dad)!

And here is their business (shameless promotional ad here)…

My Christmas story…….

Christmas brings such happeiness to those all over the world, but for our family it is a little different. In the year 2000, it was an extra special one. Our son, Korey, had finally recovered from what I could only describe as the worst thing as a parent I had ever gone through. You see only 8 weeks before Christmas we had nearlly lost him to a miss diagnosous from a doctor. He had been sick for a couple of days and the doctors told us it was a virus. Well it wasn’t a virus it turned out to be Type 1 Diatetes. He spent the next 5 days in intensive care, then another 9 days in the childrens ward before we could bring him home. He then spent the next 5 weeks at home recovering. He went back to school a week before the Christmas break started which is when we finally got the 7 kilos he had lost in wieght back on him again.

Korey was 8 at the time. It was a huge challenge for us as a family to come to terms with all that had happened. But I remember waking up that first Christamas morning after he had been diagnosed and thinking that we had pulled through. It was the best Christmas we had had in a long time, for our own little miricle had happened.

But little did we know just after the Christmas break in 2001, our oldest son, Kyle, 15 at the time, contracted Type 1 Diabetes as well. It seemed like Christmas was beginning to be a curse for our family, either just after or just before some one got sick.

So it came as a huge shock when my Grandfather died on Christmas day in 2002. Three years running something terrible had gone wrong for our family around Christmas time again.

So Christmas day is a day were we are greatful for the sacarafice others have made for us, we are blessed that our sons pulled through and we also remember a grandfather who is sadly missed.

But in 2007, things change for the better, something exciting happened a few weeks before Christmas that made Christmas’s very joyful in our family…….our Grandson was born, Brock. He is such a joy. The another little miricle arrived a few weeks after Christmas in 2009, our Granddaughter, Miley arrived. So this Christmas will be a celebration of life, love and family. This year Im hoping the happy things keep coming.

I like Christmas time again, family, friends, lots and lots of time spent with those you love and most of all, being thankful for all we have and remember those that aren’t with us any more.

I hope every one has a wounderful Christmas and a great New Year…………..cause Im going to, Im sure!!!!!

Roni O’Connor, Australia

——–
Roni and I have been friends for many years, brought together through music. She is an uplifting and inspiring woman with whom I am proud to say I know.

Amazing story, Roni! Thanks!