By Rev. C.J. Barry Kentner
Skies are not always blue.
And-
Especially at Christmas this is true.
Behind the tinsel, trees and toys
There lies a different hue;
Of bitterness; And disappointment too.
It has to be one of the most difficult times of the year. One need only pause in a busy mall or department store for a few moments and look around carefully. The shoppers are so busy with their quest for gifts that they rarely show a smile, nor do you see any real signs of joy on their faces.
Even at the cash registers, the exchange of money and plastic carries the same bland tone with which customers and staff voice an automatic “Merry Christmas,” or “Happy Holidays.”
If the store policy allows it!
One ‘not so long ago’ Christmas, an elderly lady appeared at a cash register in a busy Walmart. She had more than 200 dollars in purchases and a handful of credit cards…perhaps as many as eight. All were declined! She produced a cheque; purportedly from her employer, only to be informed by the checkout cashier that the store’s policy forbade the cashing of personal, or second party cheques.
This cashier spent almost half an hour with the lady, as they ran first one, and then another card. Increasing the embarrassment of the moment was the fact that the lady was stiffened by age, and her fingers were arthritic. She slowly went through the agony of producing the cards from her purse, and then putting each one back before presenting another! In between, she was crying, and muttering…while customers were lining up behind her.
Twice a manager came to the till, talked to the cashier and then left…apparently with the belief that the situation would quickly be resolved. It wasn’t.
A bystander questioned if he could help the lady in any way and her refusal was testy. He then approached a supervisor and asked if anything could be done to help. It was at this point the store manager came to the till, and moved lady and parcels to a quiet corner near the door. What the result of their conversation was remains between them.
By now, however, some of the staff and several customers were concerned about the situation. The cashier who had been at the center of this drama was in tears, and unexpectedly, and obviously uncharacteristically blurted out her personal plight.
Because she had a job, the Salvation Army had refused any help with a Christmas Basket.
She was the only one working in her home at the moment, and she would only have a few hours with her family on Christmas day, before returning to her cash register for the remainder of the week.
There was no money for gifts, she confided. Her young teenagers would have nothing.
It was a spontaneous moment in which a handful of employees and customers were involved, and it passed quickly.
But one of those customers quietly purchased two gift cards, signed the envelope “Santa Claus,” and handed them to the cashier. She completely broke down, and tearfully hugged the man.
As he left the store, several employees smiled at him and gave the “thumbs up” sign. The cashier and the supervisor were not the only one with tears in their eyes.
This incident brings back memories of personal involvement in previous Christmases. I do not tell this for self-aggrandizement, but rather, for the hope that your involvement in a previous Christmas will be remembered and you can call us and share it.
One year, a young mother who worked in a restaurant with one of our daughters had not even been able to pay the rent on her small apartment. Her young son had decorated his kindergarten chair with a small string of lights. They were going to have peanut butter sandwiches for Christmas.
While I cut down a small evergreen tree on the front lawn of our home, my wife approached our children and asked them to take one of their gifts from the pile under our tree. These were put in a bag, along with some tinned goods and other things from our pantry, and, a turkey that we had been holding in the freezer for some occasion. Our Christmas turkey was already in the thawing process in the kitchen.
It was a Christmas Eve that 50 years later is still talked about by our family as one of the best ever.
My wife and I, and our six children trekked to the young mother’s apartment to deliver their Christmas. To complete the enjoyment of the moment, I was dressed in a Santa suit!
For years, I portrayed Santa Claus on radio, TV, and at parties, as well as shopping malls and parking lots. I even operated a school to teach Santa Claus portrayals. From the earnings of that endeavor, our Christmas celebration was financially covered, and it enabled us to help individuals and families, at this most difficult time of year.
Open a Bible to the book of James, and read Chapter two beginning at the 14th verse. You’ll soon find these words:
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother, or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him “go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Over the years I have found my greatest hurts, and shabbiest treatment has come from those who proclaim themselves to be Christians of Faith! Once, when I asked for assistance I was lectured.
Perhaps you too, have experienced this type of behavior. Or perhaps you, like I, have intervened in some way to lighten someone’s load.
Christmas is not toys and joys,
Nor is it food and drink.
It is instead
A time that we
Should take a pause and think.
God chose a time to gift the world
By giving His own Son.
The world has chosen differently
A time for one on one
