Is Christmas Sneaking Up On You…Good! Boo!

Dear Reader:

Kaitlyn and Tommy have started an annual tradition of having family and friends over for the Mt. Pleasant Christmas Parade…this works well since they are right off Coleman Blvd in Mt. P. (Behind OOPS!) A great location to be able to get good front row seats early.

But a little child can only be contained for so long in a chair…they want to stand to see all the action upfront and personal. Rutledge and his friends were so caught up in the parade that he didn’t see Santa until he felt an arm around him, saw red and white fur on the hand and turned to see Santa himself!

His expression says it all…awe and delight! And isn’t that what Christmas should contain…awe and delight. From the birth of a baby 2000 years ago to the mystery of Christmas today?

For little children it is the magic of Christmas that stays behind in their hearts and memories forever. It is the surprise element in this wonderful holiday that keeps hope alive.

We all have learned, that as hard as we try, planned Christmases never work… they can only take us so far. Christmas takes on a life of its own…and we must learn to roll with the punches.

I realized several years ago…I would never have a Hallmark Christmas…but these days…I am okay with that…“If we can’t be with the ones we love, love the ones we’re with.” Christmas is bigger than numbers of people, or food disasters, the flu, or broken toys, or chaos run rampart…it is simply taking time to hug and laugh and yes, sometimes, cry together. Christmas is love and caring…being there for each other.

…Except perhaps funny Christmas cards that remind us that some things don’t change every Christmas. I had to laugh at the Turner’s Christmas card this year….Um…Now where had I seen this photo before?

*Perhaps it was last year’s Christmas card. (Jakie…I am betting that the third attempt is going to be a charm…a smile will appear…a Christmas miracle will take place!)

Christmas 2015– Santa’s Village-Huntsville, Alabama

Christmas 2016 – Santa’s Village- Huntsville, Alabama

*Did you notice that even SANTA stayed the same? Brave Santa!

For Jakie’s first Christmas a photo was taken of him in his cute Christmas cap/stocking and Eva Cate took on Santa by herself at Santa’s Village…then the photos were combined…smart move!

Christmas 2014 – Santa’s Village – Huntsville, Alabama (And oh my goodness…it is the same Santa again…”I do BELIEVE in SANTA”!}

In conclusion, Santa stays the same…God stays the same…it is humans who change…physically…and hopefully spiritually as the years go by. We grow confident in God’s unconditional love.

So until tomorrow…We are grateful for special surprises that delight and bring light into our lives…and for traditions that give us security and stability in an ever-changing world.

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”

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