Merry Christmas! Today I decided to share a poem, hot off the laptop. May your holidays be filled with peace and joy.
MAYBE GOD IS SANTA CLAUS Five days till Christmas, we huddled by the tree, counting the presents, guessing what was inside. We studied our reflections in the shiny balls, blew gently on the strands of tinsel tinted by the red, blue, and yellow bulbs shining warm, leaking white light where the color had been scratched off. We had sat on Santa’s red velvet knee, sharing our requests, and we knew he would grant them, for Santa Claus never said no, it costs too much. Yes, we saw Grandpa hauling gifts from the blue Chevy to our door. Aunts and godparents brought more, but it was Santa we were counting on to bring those extra special things, not pajamas but a bike or the doll that walked like a real little girl. All we had to do was be good as we sat in our dress-up clothes, hands neatly folded in our laps at Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve where the tree was taller than the sky and a train chugged through a village made of houses, toys, and mirror lakes. When it was finally almost Christmas day, we went to bed early but couldn’t sleep. We heard sleigh bells ringing in the yard, reindeer clomping on the roof, Santa making his delivery. Oh! And when the night was finally still, we scrambled to the heater vent and saw the ribboned bicycle, the bulging stockings by the tree. We waited impatiently for dawn, then scrambled shrieking out of bed, waking Mom and Dad. Come on! Oh, the joy. Every wish fulfilled, We didn’t see Mom’s flat stocking, only her smile as we poured out pencils, Lifesavers, and chocolate coins. Can we have one? No, not yet. First we have to go to church. We sat in the pew swinging our feet, looking at pictures while the priest prayed in Latin far away, and then, more presents, breakfast, company. We never knew other kids might have no gifts, no pine-scented tree, no Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve. as we sat in a sea of wrapping paper, playing with our brand new toys while Mom cooked pancakes and sausages. God gave us a taste of heaven to get us through the coming years, a memory to counteract the tears. --Sue Fagalde Lick
and was written by Rebecca Alexander with Sasha Alper. Alexander is losing both her sight and her hearing, due to something called Usher’s Syndrome, a rare genetic glitch. She was a teenager when she was told she would eventually be both blind and deaf. It’s a great book, and Alexander doesn’t seem to feel the least bit sorry for herself. Imagine what it would be like not even being able to see the Christmas tree.
Unleashed in Oregon 