After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11)It is Christmas Eve, and Ella is asleep, or will be soon. She is one of those people who can go to sleep in no time. It takes me forever, but she is gone almost the minute she hits the pillow.
I am about to go and fill her stocking for Christmas.
I was raised in a family that believed in Santa Claus and I have good memories of it. She was raised in a family that did not so they never had fun Christmases. Add to that the fact that we were raised in a church that didn’t believe it was permissible to celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus. So the fact that Santa was there made it fun for me.
But she never had Santa come visit her until we got married.
The first Christmas we were married, I told her about the Christmas stockings. It sounded fun but she didn’t really know what to do. I told her that Santa had to come while we were asleep. So at some point in the night, we each got up without waking the other and fixed the stockings.
I fixed her stocking brimming with presents, falling out, candy and apples and oranges and stuff galore spilling out of it. She fixed hers with a couple of things. She had never done a stocking before and had no idea of how. When she saw my masterpiece (I had gone all out for my new wife), she even took a few of the candies in hers and put it on mine.
But needless to say, her stocking was the best. And I liked it.
Of course, the next Christmas she had all year to plan and she went all out.
We have done that each year. At some point in the night we get up and Santa comes.
This year, we are almost broke. However, I had enough to get her a few things and – what do you know? Santa came. The stocking is full. A little inexpensive jewelry (she is amazingly easy to please), some candy, a body wash and a red pear. And voila! A Christmas stocking.
Christmas is not about Santa nor about the stockings. But they add extra to the day. And they make us each feel good in the giving.
Merry Christmas.
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