Helen Szymanski - Christmas Traditions: True Stories that Celebrate the Spirit of the Season

Christmas
TRADITIONS

Christmas
TRADITIONS

TRUE STORIES THAT CELEBRATE
THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON

EDITED BY HELEN SZYMANSKI

Copyright 2009 by F+W Media, Inc.

All rights reserved.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by
Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
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ISBN 10: 1-59869-838-9
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-838-1

eISBN: 978-1-44051-349-7

Printed in the United States of America.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to the Spirit of Christmas.

Acknowledgments

A special thank-you is extended to the hundreds of authors who submitted their work to this book. I wish I could have found a home for each and every story. Id also like to thank my agent, Kate Epstein; my in-house editor, Andrea Norville; everyone at Adams Media and F+W Media, Inc.; and my family, whom I dearly love. And, as always, Id like to thank the Lord, for He has never let me down. He gives me great visions, holds my hand when I need it, and always, always believes in me.

Contents

BY HELEN SZYMANSKI

BY JOAN CLAYTON

BY DONNA SUNDBLAD

BY CHERYL K. PIERSON

BY ROSEMARY GOODWIN

BY ANNA VON REITZ

BY DIANE SERIO

BY ANGIE LEDBETTER

BY ELAINE K. GREEN

BY ALISSA MARIE POLASKI

BY JANET F. SMART

BY EDWARD L. MELIN

BY KATHRYN ARNOLD

BY CYNTHIA BRIAN

BY NAOMI LEVINE

BY CHARLENE A. DERBY

BY AMBER BRECHT

BY PAT GALLANT

BY HEIDI LEE OVERSON

BY JO RAE JOHNSON

BY MARGARET LANG

BY AL SERRADELL

BY TRISH AYERS

BY SHANNON JACOBYANSKY

BY AMY AMMONS MULLIS

BY BARBARA FARLAND

BY ANNE MCCRADY

BY CARLENE RAE DATER

BY JOYCE STARK

BY SALLY CLARK

BY NADJA MERI BERNITT

BY DOROTHY L. BUSSEMER

BY BILL PEARSALL

BY CAPPY HALL REARICK

BY ANN HITE

BY J. M. PANTATELLO

BY DAVID C. NITZ

BY STEPHEN D. ROGERS

BY PATTI MATTISON LIVINGSTON

BY DIANE BULLER

BY CAROL NYMAN

BY J. TROY SEATE

BY JEAN HAYNIE STEWART

BY PAM GIORDANO

BY CONNIE VIGIL PLATT

BY DIXON HEARNE

BY TERRI TIFFANY

BY JUNETTE KIRKHAM WOLLER

BY CHARLIE HUDSON

BY LISA FINCH

BY LINDA MEHUS-BARBER

BY LAURA S. WHITE

BY SONJA HERBERT

BY NANCY ALLAN

BY CAROL MCADOO REHME

BY SHEILA OBRIEN SCHIMPF

BY PATRICIA F. DASCOLI

BY GEORGIA A. HUBLEY

BY M. DELORIS HENSCHEID

BY KEVIN LYNCH

BY RUTH COE CHAMBERS

BY REBECCA BURGENER

BY BILL PEARSALL

BY LOY MICHAEL CERF

BY CAROL NYMAN

BY MICHELLE CIARLO-HAYES

BY PATRICIA HOPPER

BY EVAN GUILFORD-BLAKE

BY SUZANNE WARING

BY SHIRLEY P. GUMERT

BY CATHERINE LANSER

Introduction

My Christmas traditions are many. Each part of my life has brought with it beautiful traditions that I will hold close for all time.

Jesus is the number-one reason for my Christmas season, but I also have a whimsical tradition, which I love. It started when I was a child, and its what keeps me a child at heart: my fascination with elves. I grew up in the 50s and 60s, about the time the first red-felt elf made its appearance in the branches of Christmas trees round the globe. I was immediately caught up in the magic. Because my siblings and I wanted the elves to know they were welcome in our home, we built elf doors and little bitty furniture for them out of bark and moss. Today, that tradition has grown. Dozens of elves now peek from nooks and crannies around my house, and these days I make wooden elf doors and sell them online at www.theelfdoor.com, so every child can enjoy the magic.

As Christmas approaches, I encourage everyone to remember that the season really and truly is about the Christ Child, but when it comes to creating a family tradition, I also hope that each of my readers starts at least one special magical tradition. Its that extra bit of magic that makes a routine activitylike adopting another elf or erecting another elf doorthe second most-important thing that will come to mind when we remember the Christmas holiday and all of the special family traditions weve enjoyed over the years.

Helen Szymanski

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Touch the heart of a loved one thisChristmas. Decorate your treewith one-of-a-kind love notes.

BY JOAN CLAYTON

Love Notes on My Tree

I wish I could find enough words to tell you how much I love you, said my tall, dark, and handsome husband, as he held me tight in the privacy of our little apartment. I knew he worried about not being able to buy me a present, but he neednt have. Emmitt had just finished his tenure in the army and had enrolled in college on the GI Bill. We had been married only a few months, and he wanted our newlywed Christmas to be special.

Youre my present and always will be, I answered. He smiled in relief. Come on, I said. Lets go shopping for a tree. Maybe well find one we can afford.

I think the salesman guessed our financial condition when he saw us coming up the walk. The trees have been picked over, he explained. But, believe it or not, I have just the tree for you. A kind smile appeared on his face. Ill sell it for one dollar.

We thanked him and hurried home with the first of many evergreens that would grace our home over the coming years. We had nothing to decorate it with, so we just sat with love-filled eyes and stared at it, listening to Im Dreaming of a White Christmas playing on the radio. Emmitt looked at me and smiled. Lets dance, he whispered, pulling me close. I thought I was in heaven.