Santa has not received my letter yet.
In first grade, our teacher asked us to write a letter to Santa for Christmas.
She asked us, “Name a gift you would like Santa to bring you for Christmas.”
Then we had to write a letter to Santa Claus, who, according to her, lived in the North Pole, and tell him what we wanted for Christmas and why we wanted it. Then, we put it in an envelope and mailed it to the North Pole.
At the time, I thought my teacher had a connection to Santa Claus. He said so many nice things about him that he must have known him personally. Consequently, I thought that a letter delivered to him by my teacher would have credit.
The other night, the Gracious Lady of the Parsonage and I were sitting around drinking some hot chocolate and thinking about Christmas. I had just put up the Christmas tree with all the decorations. She does such a wonderful job that she let her do it.
Actually, one year I tried to help her and it was a disaster to say the least. Since then, I am to look and search and that’s it. Christmas decorations are wonderful and create a Christmas spirit.
While admiring the Christmas decorations, I mentioned to him about the first grade letter to Santa. I casually said, “I guess Santa never got my letter.”
Looking at me he said: “Why do you say that?”
I laughed and said, “I never got a pony for Christmas.”
We laughed together and then she said something that made me stop. “Do you want a pony for Christmas this year?”
From the way he looked at me when he asked that question, I thought he was serious. It gave me a bit of pause because what the hell would I do with a pony now.
So, I’m not one to let a situation go by without playing it for all it’s worth.
With a very serious look on my face, I said, “I sure would love to have a pony this year. It would make my Christmas just wonderful.”
“Well,” he said rather sarcastically, “you’ll have to send me a letter if you want that pony this year.”
After a few moments of silence, we both burst out laughing.
Where in the world would we put a pony in the rectory? What the hell would I do with the pony in the rectory?
Actually, I hadn’t thought about that letter to Santa for a long time. It’s amazing what you do when you’re young and years later, for some reason, you remember it.
Then, in the middle of all this thinking, my wife asked me a question that I’m still not sure about.
“Okay, what do you really want for Christmas this year?”
I can think of many things. Pens, books and knives to add to my collection. I can never get enough of these things. But is that what I really want for Christmas this year?
Pondering the question, I couldn’t find a serious answer.
To try to catch her off guard, I said, “First, tell me what you would like for Christmas this year.”
I thought you’d give me a well-researched list of gifts you’d like for Christmas. She is so organized in everything she does that I was pretty sure she was organized in this area as well.
My problem with buying her Christmas presents is that I don’t know what she would like. She has everything she wants and she can use. I can’t buy anything from him in the tools category because that’s uncharted territory for me.
I met this young lady when she was really young and to this day, it would be hard for me to get her a gift that would really surprise her. We have different likes and dislikes, which makes us a very good team.
“Oh no,” she said abruptly. “You’re not going to get away with it. Before I tell you what I want for Christmas, you’ll have to tell me what you want for Christmas.”
If anyone knows how to corner me, it’s the Gracious Mistress of the parsonage. I have been cornered in so many corners that there are no longer any in our house.
I honestly didn’t know what to say to him. Then, to my surprise, a wonderful thought began to dance in my skull. She danced so much that it made me think. I came up with a special Christmas present for this year that I knew she couldn’t contradict.
“After thinking about this a lot,” I said very soberly, “what I want for Christmas this year is another year to live with you.”
Needless to say, she had nothing to say about it. Very rarely do I get to say something that makes her shut up.
I remembered what the apostle Paul said. “That I might know him, and his resurrection power, and his fellowship in his sufferings, being made like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10).
The most important thing in the Christian life is not what God gives you, but what he himself gives you. Relationships are much more important than possessions.
