Dear Santa from Jim Whitaker

Dear Santa,

I’m only 54 years old so I tried to get someone bigger than me to write this for me. They all declined.

I should write this letter asking you the great requests of the Christmas season. But you know, I’m just not so sure.

It’s not that I don’t believe in you in the sense of your spirit of generosity and ho-ho-ho and all the fine qualities you expound for as long as you’re around. It’s just that..

If I ask you for peace for all, you can’t deliver that.

If I ask you for brotherhood for all, you can’t deliver that.

If I ask you for serenity for all, you can’t deliver that.

If I ask you for an end to poverty to prejudice, to backstabbing, to hate, to exclusion, to intolerance, to apathy, to cruelty to loneliness, to aggressiveness and violence or to any of the other abhorrent characteristics of unfeeling humanity you can’t deliver, can you?
All right, Santa, because you’re such a nice guy I’ll give you this much.

Your red suit and white beard and belly laugh - not to mention your belly - make people feel good. They smile when they see you in the mall and think of the accepted folly of you flying in a reindeer-pulled sleigh around the world in one night, without a passport no less. Well, except for that 3-year-old on your lap the other day who was absolutely terrified by that red suit, white beard and especially the belly laugh. Has your knee recovered from the kick he gave you trying to break free?

People enjoy pretending to be you or one of your industrious elves. I’ve worn the red suit and fake beard myself and looked into faces that while I ho-ho-hoed were dissolving into belief where before there was considerable doubt about your existence and meaning.

Pretending to be you made me feel sustained and worthwhile for a while. And, like many others, I grasp that feeling anew when 1 sign “From Santa” and not my own name to a gift I give.

But Santa Baby your time is seasonal and your effect measured in mere weeks, days and hours and in songs people don’t want to hear anymore after midnight Dec. 25.

How much more glorious would it be if every person who looks to you even for the moment would look wholeheartedly to the one whose birth Christmas Day celebrates? Even if at the same time denying the deity of Jesus, what would happen if they truly embraced the teachings and the life and the examples of Jesus?

Wouldn’t the world be at peace, Santa, because there just wouldn’t be any need for the things that fuel war?

Wouldn’t brotherhood thrive, Santa, because that would be the only accepted way of treating others?

Wouldn’t people care enough about each other, Santa, to eliminate poverty?

Wouldn’t people no longer feel a need for aggressiveness or greed or violence, Santa, to make themselves feel safe or secure?

And wouldn’t cruelty be replaced, Santa, with kindness and forgiveness and sacrifice for others?

Following the life of Christ is indeed hard for an individual, Santa. Yet the good in the result for the many would be beyond measure.

So, Santa, don’t take offense. While you’re here, while you last, I’ll enjoy your company. I’ll sit up Christmas Eve and watch the fireplace for your entrance, if you want. Although the last 43 years 1 have to admit have been a little disappointing in that regard.

My Christmas wish, though, my real Christmas wish is that more people embrace the Life that could truly make all those worthwhile Christmas wishes spoken by so many lips come gloriously true.

How about it, Santa?
Love,
Jim
PS. Milk and chocolate chip cookies, my house, Christmas Eve. At least there better be.
 ****

My special thanks to Jim Hill for so graciously sharing the spirit of the season with me.  I asked his permission to post this today, since his letter to Santa so eloquently sums up what most of us wish for.  To find out more about Jim, the author and columnist, I add his email signature line for your convenience.  He's a treasure:

Jim Whitaker
"Hill of Beans" Author, Columnist,
Staff Writer Cynic Online Magazine
My book is available at
www.whiskeycreekpress.com,
at www.amazon.com
and http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Welcome Stephanie Burkhart

Christmas in Germany

In 1986, I found myself, at 18, stationed near the German city of Muenster for Christmas, and one thing I learned is that the Germans prepare for Christmas a little differently than Americans. The biggest cultural difference? The German Kris Kringle markets. In fact, most major European cities have them. When I went to my first one in Muenster, I was wrapped in a cocoon of cold, but it didn't matter. The festive atmosphere and overall good will permeated my heart and still resonates with me today. I thought I'd share some of my Kris Kringle memories with you.

The first Kris Kringle market I went to in Muenster blew me away. I had never seen anything like it. Lights were everywhere. Glühwein, a German Christmas drink, was warmed on every corner. The stalls were wooden; easy to put up and take down. The market sold everything you could think of purchasing for a more "homier" Christmas.

Items in the market included handmade wood ornaments, toys, gingerbread, candles, wreaths, glass ornaments, handmade knitted scares, hats and mittens, candy and marzipan. There was plenty of food from sausages, fries, hot spiced wine, and waffles. The bigger the market, there might even be an amusement ride or two.

I loved just browsing the markets, drinking the glühwein and munching on a sausage with a brotchen. For me, it was a great adventure and the cultural

The German city, Aachen, attracts over 1.5 million visitors a year.

Berlin has more than 50 individual markets.

In Köln, a medieval Christmas market is held at the local chocolate museum. (Doesn't that sound yummy?)

Stuttgart's Christmas markets date back to 1692, making the city one of Germany's oldest markets.

My love of the European Christmas markets and traditions shines in my 99 cent contemporary Christmas story, "Christmas in Bayeux."

ENJOY THIS EXCERPT:

Aiden parked his car a few blocks from the town center. He noticed the middle of town was very compact. Most of the buildings were tall and either beige or grey. From the second stories hung the American, British, French, and Canadian flags – the forces that stormed the Normandy beaches. He slammed his door shut and Noel took his hand.

God, he loved it when she held his hand with no hesitation. "Fess up, Noel. Where are we going?"

She gave him a mischievous grin as she wrapped her scarf around her neck. "It's in the town centre."

"Um." No, he didn't care for surprises one bit. They made him feel uncomfortable. He'd had enough surprises in Iraq to last a lifetime.

They walked a block or two and entered the downtown pedestrian area. Aiden stopped, amazed by the wooden shops lined up against each other. They sold wooden ornaments, candies, knick-knacks, wreaths, candles, anything that had to do with Christmas. There were three rows of these booths, which took up the square along with a food tent. The scent of mulled apples and sweet pastries tickled his nose.

"Noel, what is this?"

"The Christmas markets."

"Is this what you wanted to show me?"

"No." She paused. "Ah, that's right – you don't have Christmas markets in the States."

"Well, then, we're coming here tomorrow to shop for Christmas."

She smiled. "It's a date."

He found it impossible not to return her disarming grin. Was that what they were doing? Dating? She led him down the street. It was getting harder for him to hold back, but he wanted her to know that when he kissed her, when he touched her, it was because he wanted her, not because it was gratitude or some other strong emotion. Well, yes, he was grateful to her, but damn it, he wasn't about to let her walk out of his life right now. Right now? Who was he kidding? He didn't want her to walk out of his life again.

REVIEWS:

5 Stars, Karen Michelle Nutt, author

Christmas in Bayeux is a tender romance sure to warm your hearts for anytime of the year. I highly recommend it.

5 Stars, Diane Craver, author

Christmas in Bayeux" is the perfect short romance to enjoy during the holiday season or any time during the year, and I highly recommend it. 

5 Stars, Celia Yeary, author

You will enjoy this beautiful story, rich in history and appreciation of the past, while living and falling in love in the present. I highly recommend "Christmas in Bayeux."

BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-muZ0dhOvSE

Christmas in Bayeux is available as an ebook only.

BUY LINKS:

AMAZON:

http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-in-Bayeux-ebook/dp/B005BTLSI8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-in-bayeux-stephanie-burkhart/1104401603?ean=2940011371806&itm=1&usri=christmas+in+bayeux

SMASHWORDS:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/72100

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