The Real ‘Spirit’ of Christmas

The following is a story called The Christmas Rose. It’s about a man, whose wife and daughter died tragically. It’s about Christmas and the real love children have for their parents and siblings. It shows the real spirit of Christmas.

The Christmas Rose

“I hurried into the local shop to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little boy holding a doll. I wondered who the doll was for. “Are you sure I don’t have enough money?” he asked his aunt. “You know you don’t have enough money,” she said, before asking him to wait as she hurried to get some other items. Now curious, I asked the boy who the doll was for.

“It is the doll my sister wanted so badly for Christmas. She just knew that Santa would bring it.” he said. I told him that maybe Santa was going to bring it.

“No, Santa can’t go where my sister is. I have to give the doll to my Mammy to take to her,” he said.

I asked him where his sister was. He looked at me with the saddest eyes and said, “She has gone to be with Jesus. My Daddy says to tell Mammy not to go yet. I told him to tell her to wait until I got back from the store.”

Then he showed me some photos he had taken of himself. “I want my Mammy to take this with he so she doesn’t ever forget me. I wish Mammy did not have to leave me, but Daddy says she need to be with my sister,” he said.

The little boy lowered his head and grew very quiet. While he was not looking, I reached into my wallet and pulled out a hand full of notes. I asked the little boy, “Shall we count that money one more time?”

I slipped my money in with his and we began to count it. Of course, it was plenty for the doll. “He softly said “Thank you, I have enough money. I just prayed that I would get enough money to buy this doll and now I have enough to buy the doll and a rose for my Mammy. She loves white roses.”

A few minutes later his aunt came back and I walked away. I could not keep from thinking about the little boy as I finished my shopping in a totally different spirit than when I had started.

I remembered a story I had seen in the newspaper about a drunk driver hitting a car and killing a little girl. It said the mother was in a serious condition and the family was deciding whether to remove the life support.

Two days later, I read that the family had disconnected the life support and the young woman had died. I could not forget the little boy and just kept wondering if the two were somehow connected. Later that day, I bought some white roses and took them to the funeral home. There was the young mum in her coffin holding a lovely white rose, the beautiful doll and the picture of the little boy in the store. I left there in tears, my life changed forever.

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, make sure you get your fill of the true spirit of Christmas and not the spirit that can cause much sadness.