Exceptional Let's remember the families who are struggling this season. Will Christmas Ever Find Them by papa55mike      Christmas Story Contest Winner

A delicate snowflake drifts by the window of a tiny house beside an empty church. Two little blue eyes watch it with fascination until it lands on the windowsill. Landon is small for nine, and he longs for the Christmas experience. He only gets presents wrapped in a Wal-Mart bag, usually underwear and socks. But not this time. Landon knows that Christmas will find them this year. It's something he feels in his heart. He knows a tree with flashing lights and many decorations will be in that corner. We'll have a turkey dinner to cook and presents wrapped in wrapping paper for Mom and him. ~ A dejected Lily (Landon's Mother) clocks out on the twenty-third for the Christmas holiday weekend. She was hoping for a bonus of any amount to get Landon a coat for Christmas - but management said the pandemic hit them hard, and there isn't enough profit for a bonus. Lily thought the statement was full of holes and bet all the children of management had plenty of gifts to open on Christmas. As Lily enters the gloomy evening, she stops to repent, "I'm sorry, Father. I should be happy for every child that does have presents. But I wish Landon had gifts to open." The snow begins to fall again, leaving the landlord, Mr. Emert's place. Lily begged him to leave fifty dollars off the rent so she could buy a little Christmas for her son, but he refused, saying, "Are you crazy! The first of the month is next week, and you won't have the rent for that," then slammed the door in her face. Lily smiles at the beautifully decorated door, saying, "Merry Christmas to you, too." While walking back to their beat-up Jeep Cherokee, Lily thinks back to the times she and Landon spent Christmas living in the car. They were going from one free dinner to another - begging for enough money to keep the car running all night so they wouldn't freeze. Lily whispers to herself, "We'll never go back to that again - I'll sell my body before that happens!" After leaving the Utility Department, Lily stares at the last two dollars from her check. At least they were nice enough to accept half of the bill and won't cut off the electricity the day after Christmas.  Lily sees a person begging on the corner. She smiles at his bright face and dark brown eyes, then says, "For you, my friend, the widow's last two mites. May you not be hungry this Christmas." "Thank you, my child," the man suddenly looked much older and replied, "Your gift will not go unnoticed." With a little spark in her heart, Lily opens her car door and then glances back at the beggar. He's not there.  Lily pulls into the house's driveway beside the closed church. It's not much, but it has this beautiful picture window in the front room. She turns off the Jeep and sees Landon's little face staring at the house on the corner; right after Thanksgiving, the Ballards decorated their entire yard. It has inflatables, light trees, dancing elves, and a massive Santa waving through the snowflakes.  She stops at the front door and sees Landon's eyes transfixed on the scene at the corner, and his smile is bright and wide. Lily knows he dreams of Christmas. Something he's never known. Memories flood Lily's mind of a Christmas day when she was nine or ten. Mother never had anything, and they lived in a one-room house in rural Alabama. It was after Father drank himself to death, leaving Mother penniless. But they had a home, and she always found a way to celebrate the day. Now, she'll have to find a way to do the same. She whispers, "Somehow, I have to find a little Christmas for my son." ~ It's the evening of Christmas Eve, and Landon's heart is overflowing with the spirit of the holidays. He's back in his spot in the window, remembering all the day's festivities. They have been to several churches, and while Mom was talking to the adults, he was taking in all the Christmas trees and Nativity scenes in the foyers with rooms full of presents and boxes of food sitting everywhere he looked. But he noticed Mom was slowly getting sadder every time they left a church until she burst into tears when they got home. Landon slowly puts his hand on hers, saying, "It's okay, Mom. Santa comes tonight." Lily wipes her face, pushes the brown curls out of Landon's blue eyes, and replies, "Yes, sweetie. Santa comes tonight." She can't break his heart now. Let him dream. It's almost midnight, and Lily glances at Landon sleeping on the couch under her Mother's quilt. Lily climbs into bed with tears flowing down her cheeks, seeing herself as a failure. She stares at the ceiling and begins to pray, "Oh, Lord, I'm begging You. Please help me find some Christmas for my son. Amen." ~ It's four-thirty on Christmas morning, and Lily stares blankly into her steaming coffee cup. She hopes Landon will sleep for a while, and there's no use in him waking early to an empty day. Their holiday dinner consists of eight hotdogs and instant mashed potatoes, and at least there's enough bread to toast for breakfast. Lily starts to slip into that dark mood again. Suddenly, she hears a stir outside, like someone delivering packages, and then a gentle knock on the door. Lily whispers, "Who delivers packages on Christmas day?" She unlocks the door, peeps out the crack, and the porch is full of boxes. "They all have our names on them with no sender." Lily glances around but finds no one. In shock, she starts dragging the boxes into the living room. Landon rolls off of the couch when Lily shuts the door. All of the packages fill the floor. Tears of joy stream down his face, saying, "I told you, Mom, Christmas would come this year." "You did, sweetie, and I'm so proud of your faith. Let's open these boxes!" They find a beautiful tree with a star and plenty of decorations, a large turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and presents for Landon and her. Lily returns to the kitchen for a second cup of coffee, thinking aloud, "It must have been the two dollars I handed to that beggar. He said my gift would not go unnoticed." Landon comes running in, saying, "Look, Mom, I found a note at the bottom of the last box. Read it!" "I'd love to, son. Let's find out who sent this wonderful gift." She rips open the envelope, and the note reads;  Dear Lily and Landon, I've searched for you for many years, and with the Lord's help, I finally found you. With much love, Santa Landon's face beams, saying, "See, Mom, I told you there was a Santa." Christmas Story Contest Winner Recognized Author Notes Santa Claus is more than one person. He's the man who donates presents to the homeless shelter. The woman who pays a single mom's rent for the month. The child who donates all of his savings to buy gifts for others. Santa is anyone who reaches out a hand to help someone in need, and when we do, the Lord smiles at us. Wanda and I love to play Santa when we donate several boxes of food to our local pantry and toys to the Mustard Seed to pass out to kids. Let us all find a way to be Santa to someone in need. Many thanks for stopping by to read! Have a great day, and God bless. mike

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