It was the night before Christmas Eve when the outdoor thermostat kept rising and the few snowflakes we got were drastically disappearing as fast as one's 401 K account. We turned on the TV in hopes of finding one Meteorologist with some glimmer of hope that snow was on its way. With each channel, we continued to get bad news and more of the same. On one channel Paul kept reporting and showing pictures of Salvation Army kettle collectors dressed in short sleeve shirts and shorts and drinking a cold drink while ringing the bell. On another station, Dave offered us balmy weather and even suggested it might be a good plan to turn on the gas grill and barb-cue that turkey this year and better yet have Christmas Eve dinner around your patio table outdoors.
We got more bad news when Cam the news guy from CCO reported that ice fisherman was losing their newly planted ice houses when the ice began shifting and new cracks sank their sheds. One guy even lost his brand new Chevy Eldorado when the ice gave in.
Things were getting so bad that a group of fellows from the VFW Lodge had banded together to go snow chasing much like some go storm chasing. The kids in our neighborhood were also sad when they heard that good ole Saint Nick may not be able to land his sleigh in Minnesota if there were no snow. Parents were trying to come up with contingency plans in case the unthinkable did occur and Santa could not land his sleigh in the land of no snow.
Parents with means were hiring look-alike Santa’s and were having them fill their kid's stockings on Christmas eve. Kids of lesser means were not as fortunate until someone from the local charitable organization had the idea to send their volunteers dressed as Santa’s to fill their stockings. There was no joy in the land of no snow until that is when one of the parents received a teleprompter from the north pole saying that Santa would bring out his Christmas Harley to make the trek to the land of no snow All the children began jumping up and down with excitement when they heard the news.
The true diehard old-timers were equally gloating when one of their snowbird friends called them expecting to rub it in with the great weather and after learning that they were having incredibly nice weather while they were shut in by the high snowdrifts in New Mexico of all places. It suddenly occurred to them that they could have just as well saved their money and stayed home.
There were a few families in the land of no snow that refused to be saddened by the news of no Santa. Each of these families had a small decorative shelter in their front yard with what looked like a mom and a dad with a little baby wrapped in a blanket. These were plastic life-size figurines with a glow of light. There were many of them from a small cow, a couple of sheep, and a camel. There were a shepherd and two other guys that were wise men. Over this scene was a lit-up star.
As I gazed at this scene and listening to several of these families singing ‘away in the manger’ I was reminded that Christmas isn’t about who gets what from someone’s great uncle Will or aunt Kathy or finding something Santa stuffed in your stocking Christmas morning. The real meaning of Christmas is what God did over 2000 years ago when he came to earth in the humble form of a baby just so he could become a man and tell us how much he loved us and wants us to spend all of eternity with him. The birth of Jesus wasn’t dependent on how much snow we got, or if we would get snow. The birth was a reminder of how much God loved you and how he desires to be part of each of our lives.
As far as temperature and no snow is concerned this Christmas is one for the record books. On the other hand, the true meaning of Christmas isn’t dependent on how much snow we would get, but the time God came to earth to show us how much he loved us.
I wish everyone a very merry and wonderful Christmas. Please take the time to thank God for sending his son Jesus to show us the way to spending an eternity of Christmas in heaven.
Todd Gabrielson
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