Three Very Special Christmas Stories

It's funny how one thought gets associated with another...such as how, on Christmas Day (in the afternoon), I looked out to see that a light snow was falling.

We had been having some pretty heavy snow lately, but the temperatures had moderated, and I wondered if we would get the snow that they had been predicting for Christmas.

When I saw it gently falling and forming a powder sugar covering to the ground, I knew that it was going to be at least a moderately-white Christmas.

With that, my thoughts began to further wander to a story that--although it took place the day after The Fourth Of July over 40 years ago--spoke to me of Christmas.

And I thought of two other stories--ones I often shared as a group with the first one I was thinking about--and decided to wrap them up into a nice, little Christmas package (folder, that is) and share them here.

They aren't just for Christmas--or even for just December--but can be enjoyed anytime during the year that you need your heart touched.



Remember those days when school let out on Friday for Christmas vacation and you and your family gathered up one or more friends and went out to look at Christmas lights?

Often, these friends would even stay overnight--or even all weekend.

Maybe, there was even a city or town within driving distance where you would go and look at animated figures in storefront windows.

In my own experience, this would be in downtown Indianapolis (a little over 30 miles from home) and happened at the L.S. Ayres department store.

Christmas In The City Of The Magic Windows is about a woman who is, once more, in the city where she and her family and friends made it a tradition to visit the evening after school let out for Christmas vacation (No school until next year and no homework!)and her reflecting back on those special times.



Imagine that it's the day after The Fourth Of July in 1965, and you're a 12 1/2 year old girl who will be flying home after a fun, four-week family vacation in San Francisco and Hawaii.

You've just met a couple of other girls close to your age, and you're engrossed in a conversation covering such important matters as boys and the latest rock groups when along comes your dad and asks you if you have your autograph book handy.

It turns out that he wants you to have some guy who's probably about 100 years old and looks as if he's slept in his clothes to sign your book.

What would you do?



This story took place in 1976 and takes place at Fountain Square Girls' Club in the spring of that year; my first quarter of graduate school at Ball State University, and at home with family and friends during Christmas break.

The thread that ties the different parts of this story together has an important lesson to teach in these times.

If these stories touch you, please share this folder with others...