Christmas Can't Be Far Away

Once a year, every year, we decorate our lives with the spirit of Christmas. It is that special time of year when we open our hearts and rinse our minds. In this festive season, we treat all of our senses and delight as others do the same. Within these pages, you are invited to recall the joy and that special something Christmas has given to you.

Read each passage, enjoy each image, and create new and lasting memories. Learn more of Nicholas, the bishop of Myra, how he became such a boundless success. He can reach inside you, caress your heart, and share his magic, the magic that has now made one day each year very special. That one day has evolved into the Christmas season and more.

Saint Nicholas and Christmas touch us all. Even those who don't celebrate are affected by them. Some of their universal methods and tools of success and happiness are here for the learning, so that you might take them into your life. Use them to change or enhance your journey through life. Then you will know that Christmas can't be far away.

The Song of This Night

On this eve of joyous Noel,
Silhouettes flashed against the moon —
Reindeer, a sleigh, and the jolliest of elves.

In fine speed they swiftly passed,
Then faded softly into the night.
The jingling of bells I barely heard.

In my eyes the image abides.
Dare I admit this enchanting play?
I say aloud this is Santa's big scene.

On this eve of joyous Noel,
The story unfolds against the moon
Of reindeer, a sleigh, and the jolliest of elves.

Jolly old St. Nicholas.
The song of this night!


Christmas the Season

Kris Kringle, Kris Kringle, where are you tonight?
I've hung up my stocking for you in plain sight.
Please read my small letter I have sent you on white.
It has all my wishes to make my day bright.

Bring Rudolph, bring Rudolph, his nose glowing red.
He will fly through the night; his feet are not lead.
Please wake all your reindeer and take them from bed.
Put a team to your sleigh just like it is said.

Christmas tree, Christmas tree, your coat of dark green
All covered in tinsel and lit to be seen.
Now waiting for the gifts to finish your sheen.
In all of your splendor I am really quite keen.

The music, the music we sing from our hearts
That brings in the season as soon as it starts.
It will echo and fill the big shopping marts.
It's one of the season's most important parts.

Our feast, our feast so diverse and vast That
will sweeten the day for the entire cast.
There is plenty for all, so no one must fast.
It's for all to enjoy just like in the past.

It's Christmas, it's Christmas, the season so bright.

Dreams

Nicholas, the bishop of Myra, had a very simple dream that he dared to pursue, to give the gift of giving. As a result he became St. Nicholas and much, much more. Now billions have followed and continue to follow the path of his saintly ways. He lived knowing about the unstoppable and magical power of dreams. A brief look into one small corner of his heart might read this way.

Dreams Are Magic

Dreams are magic. They make you happy.
They give you power. They give you strength.
They fill your mind and wrap your heart.
They flood your life with gifts of joy.

Add your dreams one to another.
Hear those given take them home.
Share them aloud to all those listening.
Build them strong for those who are not.

Beware the thieves who would whisk them away.
The non-believers, their numbers are great,
Fogging your path and slowing your pace.
Don't let them turn your way astray.

Nurture your dreams. Cherish their hope.
Pursue all those that lie within.
It is never too late to plant a seed.
So build your dreams. Their magic so real.

So build your dreams. They make you happy.

The First Christmas Visit

Not long ago, I received a letter. It was addressed to me but had not been mailed. I found it, or so I thought. But maybe I was supposed to find it. Maybe it was hand delivered by someone special and unique.

Let me explain.

You see, I live by myself quite far from any town or city and far off the road. It was Christmas Eve again, and I was supposed to be on my way to my parents' home to spend the holiday. That Christmas Eve, I was stuck because of a snowstorm. I had to wait till it let up so I could dig out. I went to bed early that night. I figured I would need the extra sleep to shovel mountains of snow the next day. Some Christmas Day that would make!

In the middle of my slumber, I was awakened by a noise. The wind was still blowing. Reluctantly, I got up to see what had caused the noise. Through my window, I could see snow and more snow — snow everywhere. It was falling from the sky, it covered the ground, and the wind was whipping it around in whirling clouds of white. Just then, I heard another noise coming from my roof. It sounded like several people running up there or someone dragging something across my roof — or both. It stopped suddenly, and I heard no more, but I knew I should check it out.

Once I was outside, I was quickly confused as the snow on my roof had been greatly disturbed but nothing was there. Nothing had been disturbed anywhere else. The snow in my yard still lay as Mother Nature had tossed it. The trees all around were still covered, and there were no signs of a branch coming off any of them and landing on my roof. I then laughed, thinking it was Christmas Eve and who or what would be on someone's roof except Santa Claus? Then off in the distant sky, I could see a faint red glow, as if it were coming from a small, singular light. I could also hear the jingling of bells. I stopped laughing, thinking maybe St. Nick really had been there. Nah. I went back inside and straight to bed.

In the early morning, I headed straight for the coffeemaker after waking up. With a fresh cup of coffee, I sat in front of my fireplace, preparing my mind for all the shoveling I would do that day. The rich smell of coffee was clearing my head as I thought of the past evening's events. I wondered, Did I have a close encounter with Santa last night? That could be a funny story to tell my family later that day. Well, it was time to get to work and dig my way out to the road.

On my way outside, I stopped and looked back at my Christmas tree. It wasn't much. It was small and lonely looking. It spent Christmas Day by itself as I was never there. That was when I noticed something under the tree: a small gift. It was tubular with wrapping and a bow. The wrapping was really quite different. It seemed made of cloth and not paper. I picked it up, confirming the wrapping was made of cloth. A Christmas winter scene adorned it. A house set in snow was decorated for Christmas. My house!

My house. How could that be? But it was.

I took my coat and boots off as I stumbled backward into my chair in front of the fireplace. Where did this gift come from? How did it get there? Who put it there? The wrapping was specially made. How was that done? It could not have been bought anywhere. It had my house stitched into the cloth. There were small beads on it, each colorful and placed to represent Christmas lights. A small name tag was attached to the gift. It was made of metal and was gold in color. Was it really gold? Someone had gone to a lot of trouble, but who and why?

Whatever was inside must be very special. The wrapping would have to come off very carefully so as to not ruin it. This was wrapping meant to be kept.

Ah, a tie string held it closed and would allow me access without ruining the cloth wrapping. It could also be retied. So I carefully, gingerly untied the string, and then I peeked inside. It looked like sheets of paper rolled in a tube. So I tilted it, allowing the papers to slide out. It was a letter of some kind. I sat there holding two letters, specially wrapped, with a golden name tag, delivered on Christmas Eve by an unknown person.

One letter was written on paper so soft yet strong that it could also be cloth. The other was on normal paper, and the sight of it was a little unnerving. I looked at this letter and read it quickly several times. I couldn't believe my eyes. This was the letter that I had written when I was very young — to Santa Claus. Not a copy. It was the original! My mind froze in time. How could this be? I had put it in a mailbox myself, expecting never to see it again, so many years ago. Yet here it was, returned to sender. That was not how it was supposed to work. After several minutes trying to gain a clear head, I read the second letter, and this led to more confusion and disbelief. It was clearly supposed to be written by Santa Claus. It had a magical script and verse. Together, they challenged my mind yet were delightful, even fun, to read.

A message from Santa Claus?

I sat there contemplating all the events. All the facts told me I had had a visit from St. Nick last night, and he had left me a gift. When you read the letters, you'll understand. My letter started, "Dear Santa," and his was entitled, "My Christmas Wish." I needed to clear my head, go outside, and get on the ugly end of my snow shovel. Besides, this would give me more time to reason this all out.

As I stepped outside onto my porch, my gaze in all directions was filled by a winter wonderland. There was deep snow everywhere. Accents of brilliant white transformed my immediate world into an artistic dream. The now-clearblue sky allowed the sun to prism off the blankets of white snow in rainbows of color. In a glimpse, this twinkling of all the colors turned the trees of my yard into a Christmas mirage. The air was crisp and clean. I wondered, Is this what the North Pole is like?

I stepped off the porch, rounded the corner of my house, and was greeted by still another Christmas gift. The wind from the night before had blown the snow everywhere, but on my driveway, it had blown clear. My long day of shoveling wasn't going to happen. I chuckled and thanked the winter warlock, should he exist.

My drive that day would give some time to think about the gifts I had received and unravel who my secret Santa Claus was. After driving for maybe a half hour, I was no closer to solving my riddle. I figured I would tell my parents and siblings. After all, I figured, one of them could be behind it all. I just wanted to ignore the obvious facts that pointed straight at a visit from St. Nicholas. No way! My adult mind kept bouncing back and forth between believing in a visit from Santa and a practical joke. Which was it?

Throughout my brief Christmas holiday with my family, we talked and had fun with my experiences. My father seemed withdrawn and quiet on the matter. My siblings — all seven of them — thought I was playing a joke on them. My mother, who knew me best, believed my story and encouraged me to grasp the idea that Santa Claus had paid me a visit. If I did, then what?

They had all read the letters and suggested I had written both. As for the wrapping paper and the embroidered picture of my house on it, I was accused of making that — and the gold name tag too. They just didn't believe the story at all. Yet I was riding that fence because I was there and knew I wasn't behind any of it. By the time I left for home, I was sure none of them were either. I had figured out one thing, though. If Santa Claus wrote me a letter, it was because I wrote him and asked him to. When you read both letters, you will understand that too.

Back home again, I busied myself getting back into the routine of my life, occasionally thinking of what had happened and trying to figure out why. No one ever came forth to take credit for a practical joke, which pretty well left me with just one theory.

Dear Santa:

I know you are busy and you have lots to do, but could you give Rudolph a message for me? You see, I have listened to his song and heard his story and I know why he thinks he is a misfit.

He isn't really any different from all the rest of us. I know cause my parents told me so. You see, I am small and get picked on by bigger kids. Because of this, I used to feel really bad and thought I was a misfit. Well, I found out that a lot of kids go through times when they feel like they are misfits, and so do some adults. Rudolph is just different. That is what makes him special.

I also learned from Rudolph that my time will come. I just have to be strong. My dad says that it is when life is hard that we become stronger cause we stand up to the challenge and that is what makes us happy.

I have learned that because we are all different we are all special. My dad says that our differences makes each of us unique. Please make sure Rudolph knows this cause he is unique too. That makes him special. I like being special I hope he will too.

One more thing Santa. What do you want for Christmas? Jimmy

My Christmas Wish

Step into Christmas. Let Suzy Snowflake touch your cheek, and let that Christmas feeling fill your heart with joy. Once a year you can forget all your troubles, even for just a while. This time of year on every street corner you can meet smile after smile, laughing all the way, bringing peace on earth. The sight of pretty paper and the sound of "Jingle Bells" lift each heart, building the twelve days of Christmas into a joyous Noel. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Oh, If every day was just like Christmas.

Looking up, my mind becomes lost in the infinite beauty of the stars and in the distance the aurora borealis. In this silent night the sound of crunching snow under each of my strides brings to mind that this is the season of joy to the world. In the lane the snow is glistening while scarlet ribbons and twinkling lights are on every Christmas tree. Santa Claus Lane brings me home to Mrs. Santa Claus and chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! Yes, snow for Johnny.

Baby, it's cold outside. It was a night like this, in the bleak midwinter when no man but a snowman was out, that I first realized there's no place like home for the holidays, where holly leaves and Christmas trees build Christmas memories. Yes, the holy and the ivy, the little Christmas tree, the first snowfall, and toy land are a few of my favorite things. It came upon a midnight clear that it needs love to be Christmas. We need a little Christmas every year all year.

Christmas is that time of year when we celebrate our humanity and build it, contagiously. From the littlest angel to the shepherds in the field, from good Christian men to Good King Wenceslas we wish you a merry Christmas. Like Frosty the Snowman, the wonderful world of Christmas is filled with the magic of life, the greatest gift of all. The season is filled with busy sidewalks, silver bells, holly leaves, and Christmas trees, all bringing me to life. Someday at Christmas I will take a sleigh ride.

I believe the dreams of just a few have made this a special, happy holiday. From the first Noel, the celebration of just a few grew like the march of the toys, spreading good cheer and tidings of comfort and joy. Joyous voices sweet and clear joined, making spirits bright. The energy of the season will deck the halls and give me the face of jolly old Saint Nicholas. Thus I was born the way the world began. That's why people everywhere sing, "Here comes Santa Claus." Ho, ho, ho. Yes, I'll be home for Christmas. My home, your home, home for the holidays.

All I want for Christmas is for all to know that Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer pulls a sleigh because of the reality of good will. Lean your ear this way. Do you hear what I hear? Do you know what I know? I will be your Santa Claus as long as you can say, "I believe in Santa Claus."

If you welcome Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year, into your heart, then beautiful memories will be yours this Christmas, and all your Christmases will be white.

Christmas Eve is coming soon, to fill your heart with joy. Tell little Jack Frost get lost. Let there be peace on earth, and spy to see if reindeer really know how to fly. With bells on you can rejoice and be merry. All you need is a song and a Christmas tree to make this a marshmallow world. Make this a Christmas to remember and not a blue Christmas. Have a wonderful Christmastime.

While you're driving home for Christmas in a winter wonderland, you meet the nicest people every year. Do they know it's Christmas? Spread a little joy, and have a cup of cheer. Tell them of poppa Santa Claus and little Saint Nick. Sing the Christmas song for everyone to hear.

So go caroling, caroling to have yourself a merry little Christmas. When you hear the little drummer boy on a snowy Christmas night, you will know all I want for Christmas. Maybe someday you can write me and tell me a Christmas wish you have.