OK, Savannah. How do we want to do this?
You're two years old now so I think you and I – while Grandma and Mommy are out of our … I mean away for awhile – should compose your letter to Santa.
How about … you just stand there right beside my chair all calm and quiet and don't touch anything. All right?
Dear Santa,
PawPaw, up?
Well … it's a little tight between my belly and the desk. You stand there and watch.
PawPaw, up? PaaaaaaaaaaaaawPaw UP. PawPawaaaaaaaaa UP your lap, PawPaw.
OK, just don't touch the keyboard. Now, comfortable up here?
Yeah, PawPaw.
Dear Santa,
How abooooout this one?
Gggggggggggg – Stop, Savannah. I said – gggggggggg – I said let PawPaw work the keyboard. OK?
OK, PawPaw.
Dear Santa,
Do you want to save the changes to Dear Santa.doc?
Savannah! No. I mean yes, save, I mean, what are you doing?
PawPaw? PawPaw? PawPaw, drtf heddy Vanna touch keyboard?
If you said only PawPaw touches the keyboard, then yes. If you said PawPaw should let Savannah touch the keyboard, then I'm not going to answer that.
Dear Santa,
I've been a really good girl, etc. etc. etc.
Now, Savannah, what do we … you …want for Christmas?
PawPaw, press the button. I want to move it, move it.
Don't press the button.
Barnacles!
No more Spongebob stuff, OK? Of course that's better than what you repeated after me the other day. Go ahead and say barnacles.
Oh, there's the phone. Savannah, you sit right here in PawPaw's chair and don't touch anything.
Yeah, PawPaw.
hhhhhhhytrjsksi3wpj,bvkjwim;lqfjoi0knA JKL;NSD
Kaboom. Pengins!
Safd3rfy08najkao;i]e[;jv8 9- f9pkjbDBJDGUwb.nl,LMNJN,. Kjjlc
Oh, Savannah! What's all thus stuff? Let me sit, will you?
Paaaaaaaaaaaaapa UP.
Here, here. Now sit still on my lap.
Thank you, PawPaw.
You're welcome.
Dear Santa,
I've been a really good girl, etc. etc. etc.
I want you to bring…
PawPaw, press the button.
jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj
Savannah, stop it.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I said stop it.
hhhhhhhhhhhhh I said stop it. qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq I said… Stop it?
Yes, stop it. You're going to get in really big trouble in a minute.
Kaboom. Kaboom.
Savannah, enough with the dynamite already.
Dear Santa,
I've been a really good girl, etc. etc. etc.
I want you to bring…
Let's see. It might help to get into the spirit. Jingle bells, jingle bells …
Shtake your butt, shtake your butt, shtake it all da way.
Hmmmmmm.
--sniff—sniiiiiiiiiiiff—sniff--
Savannah, did you potty?
No potty, PawPaw.
Why is there a warm feeling on my leg? Where are you going? That's it. Hide under the chair because you pottied.
Come on. Let's change your pants.
I want to move it, move it.
Well, you might've waited until your Mommy got home before you moved it, moved it.
(A few minutes, one mishap with a filled diaper, three wasted new diapers from trying to fasten the stupid things and we're back.)
OK, little girl, let's try this again.
PawPaw, up?
Oh, yeah………….here we go. You're heavier than you were last Christmas. Don't look at me like that. I know I'm heavier too.
Dear Santa,
I've been a really good girl, etc. etc. etc.
I want you to bring…
PawPaw, cup?
You're already up.
Dear Santa,
I've been a really good girl, etc. etc. etc.
I want you to bring…
PawPaw, cup?
Savannah …
PAWPAW, cuuuuuuuuuuup!
Well, where is your cup?
(Just a second, please. She's running for the refrigerator. She's opening the door. She's singing something about her cup. She's closing the door. She's … she's not running back down the hallway. Just a minute – it's time for PawPaw to play birddog.)
Savannah! What are you doing? Leave that alone. That's Grandma's stuff. Savannah, I said leave it alone.
OK, PawPaw.
You'd better move.
OK, PAWPAW!
(We're back now. Thank you for your patience. Do you have some you can spare for me?)
Savannah, where did you get that cheese?
Ty uiop cheese gherbh drink with cup, PawPaw.
(Yeah, PawPaw. Don't you get it? The cheese was with the cup, I can just hear Grandma telling me now.)
Anyway …
Dear Santa,
I've been a really good girl, etc. etc. etc.
I want you to bring…
Savannah, are you trying to go to sleep? Baby, you can't sleep on my lap like that. Savannah? Savannah?
(Just a minute while I lie her down on the bed and cover her up and you know.)
Dear Santa,
I've been a really good girl, etc. etc. etc.
I want you to bring…
Wait a minute. Let's try it this way.
Dear Santa,
Savannah is nappy-nap now. So this letter is from me, her grand … her PawPaw.
I realize that you're likely not really really really real. You're not, are you? Yet I distinguish that you are truly tangible. I know this because you live, you reside within my heart now by way of that little girl sleeping behind me – she grants you merit within me.
It is the Christmas spirit through her and millions of others that allows you to live across generations - spirit that is true and truth, spirit that is undeniable as long as it is fueled with consideration, gentleness embraced by minds and hearts unbolted to cherishing and sharing generosity and charity. It is a spirit that lives only when both equally abundantly shared and partaken.
Santa, we teach and will teach Savannah that you are tangible through Christmas spirit, yet it is the Christ Child – whose birth for our sake we celebrate - who is real and the genesis of that spirit. We will teach her that you are reflection of the spirit while He is flesh of it. You can show spirit of Christmas to us. Only He can give it to us.
And while the sprit grants you life, it is He who grants merit to our lives. It is He who is life and is the spirit.
Sincerely,
PawPaw Jim
Savannah? Hi, baby. You awake?
Wake? I wake.
Come up here on my lap and see what I've written.
PawPaw?
Yes, baby?
One, two, three, seven, twelve. Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Press the button.
Savannah! Not that bu
You'll find Jim's book "Hill of Beans" available at whiskeycreekpress.com and barnesandnoble.com.
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