Media - Christmas Stories Youll Love: a merry celebration of joy and peace

Avon, Massachusetts

The spirit of Christmas is in every shared joy and in every act of kindness during this wondrous time of year. Yet, in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season (which seems to begin earlier each year) and with the commercialization of this sacred holiday (which seems to get more brazen each year), it is easy to lose ones Christmas spirit. Fortunately, Christmas-inspired stories are always there to boost your yuletide spirits.

The gifts of the Christmas spirit joy, compassion, peace, hope, love can be found within the heartwarming stories you are about to read in Christmas Stories Youll Love . May these blessings grace you every day of the year, every year of your life.

Christmas Is Delicious!

By Robin E. Woods

W E WERE SO EXCITED and happy about taking our first trip to Radio City Music Hall with our son, Michael. The famous Christmas Spectacular was back in New York City, and it would be a wonderful experience for us all. My husband had never seen the show as a child, so it would be a first for the two men in my life. The weather was cold and crisp, and the city shone with holiday decorations and twinkling lights. Dressed in colorful red and green sweaters, we set off on our big adventure.

Our sons midtown Manhattan nursery school had planned a field trip for fifty of us, with our two- and three-year-olds in tow. We had purchased a block of tickets for the performance. Although Id grown up in the city, I hadnt seen the Christmas show since I was ten years old. I looked forward to seeing the beautiful art deco building again, this time through the eyes of Michael, who had just turned three.

As we made our way to the theater, childhood memories flooded back to me. As the eldest of three daughters, my father chose me to accompany him on a yearly father-daughter date to Radio City. I could still remember parts of the Christmas show and my delight in going to an expensive seafood restaurant after the show with my dad. I hoped that Michael would remember this day and look back on it fondly as he grew up.

Michael was excited just to stand in line to get into the five oclock show. He rarely saw the city by evening and was mesmerized by the traffic, the bright Christmas lights, and the crowd of children and adults. He kept up a steady stream of excited chatter throughout our wait.

Wheres Santa? he asked.

Are all these people Santas helpers?

Michael charmed everyone in line and proudly introduced us to the people standing in front and in back of us. In the contagious party-like atmosphere, we waited outside in the cold without complaint.

We made the requisite stop for snacks and souvenirs before going to our seats in the second mezzanine, having spent nearly the down payment on a house for five-dollar candy, five-dollar sodas, ten-dollar programs, and wildly expensive holiday novelties. Michael chose a stuffed Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as his special companion to hold during the show. The main lobby fairly vibrated with excitement, as children and parents rushed around making purchases before finding their places.

Our group spanned almost six rows of seats, and we were a noisy, overstimulated bunch of theatergoers. As the lights went down, handsome men and beautiful women skated onstage on a revolving set. We oohed and aahed . The colors! The costumes! The beauty of the holiday season and the telling of the Christmas story unfolded beneath us on the stage. All the while, Michaels classmates busily slid down from their seats to visit friends and to point out items of interest to all. I seemed to spend as much time relocating toddlers as I did watching the show.

Michaels eyes shone with joy and excitement. Before this, he had visited only a department store Santa, which had both thrilled and terrified him at the same time. Now, as the dancers came onstage, he grew more and more excited and pointed out everything that he saw to us. He commented on the characters and asked if he could go downstairs and touch the snowmen. I explained to him that this show did not include audience participation, as Sesame Street Live did. Still, he kept up his steady stream of happy toddler chatter, oblivious to the muted Shssshs lovingly directed toward him. Thank goodness we were in a child-friendly atmosphere, where his excited exclamations blended in with those of other children.

As the Nativity scene rolled onstage, Michaels eyes widened to the size of saucers. He asked us to tell him who the characters were, and I explained that they were Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, along with the Wise Men and his favorite live animals: horses, cows, goats, and sheep. The love between parents and child were evident to Michael, and I kept my explanation simple, using words and descriptive phrases he could understand.

As soon as the words baby Jesus had left my mouth, Michael unexpectedly jumped up in his seat and shouted, I love baby cheeses! And Swiss cheeses! And Bonbel and American cheeses, too!

(At the time, we carried string cheese along with us wherever we went. Some children had security blankets; Michael had his cheese.)

Immediately after he shouted the words, nearby rows of parents broke into hysterical laughter. The superb acoustics of the hall amplified Michaels comments, and his exuberant voice traveled all the way down to the stage, as if he had spoken into a microphone. You could say that he stopped the show, for we noticed that Marys and Josephs shoulders were also shaking with silent laughter.

When I explained to Michael that it was Jesus, not cheeses, he was a bit disappointed. However, he quickly recovered, and said that he loved baby Jesus and baby cheeses, too. Word of Michaels outburst had gone from tier to tier, all the way downstage. The show was stopped for almost five minutes, to allow everyone to recover and go on with the festivities. It took us much longer to regain our composure and settle down to enjoy the rest of the performance. Once I had clarified Michaels mistake, he sat happily, chewing on his beloved cheese, offering some to baby Jesus. He looks hungry, too.

How simple, and yet rich, are the wonders and joys of childhood. In trying to create a Christmas memory for Michael, Id forgotten that sometimes the best memories are unscripted and unplanned. And little could I have known that my three-year-old would inadvertently create a joyous moment for me and a whole theater of people. What a delicious, unforgettable way to commemorate this holiday season!

Robin E. Woods is a former early childhood art, music, and movement teacher living in Montclair, New Jersey. A frequent contributor to parenting publications, she hopes that her writing, which chronicles the innocent and sometimes humorous impressions of her children, will someday thrill and embarrass them.

Christmas Dinner, Christmas Spirit

By Tammy Ruggles

A LMOST 4:30 . Quitting time at Social Services. My coworkers were already gathering their coats and gloves and heading out to clear snow from their windshields so they could get home to finish last-minute shopping and spend Christmas Eve with their loved ones. I was sacking up the Christmas dinner Id bought from the deli. With the hectic schedule of a single mother, a fast turkey dinner was better than none at all for my four-year-old son and me. I had wrapped presents for Joey in the trunk of my car and a brand-new Chipmunks Christmas CD and portable player for him in my purse. I was ready to rock out the Christmas vacation with Joey and the Chipmunks and spend some leisure time at home with my rambunctious boy.