Stories of Christmas
Better to give than receive
It was 1965. I was 21 and living in Helena, Mont., my mother had become bedridden with rheumatoid arthritis six months before, and my father moved their bed from upstairs to the living room in our 1887 home.
I decided to buy my parents a color TV. They had a 7-year-old upright RCA black and white TV. A man I bowled with owned Polar Refrigeration and he would sell me a Philco colored TV with drawers on each side for $550. I asked Bill if he would give me money for the old RCA TV. Bill said he would be glad to give me $100 for the old TV.
I then asked Bill what would happen to the old TV. Bill said he would probably sell it for $50. I said I would buy it for $50 to give to my grandparents, who currently had a very small black and white TV. Bill said that worked for him and would deliver my parents' TV and take their RCA to my Grandparents.
So, for $500, I was able to bless both my parents and grandparents, and I, too, was blessed by learning it is more blessed to give than receive. And my parents enjoyed the new TV for eight years before my dear mother passed away at age 58 on Dec. 23, 1973.
John Dahl, Rathdrum
Missing that hometown magic
I guess I must be a bit homesick this time of year, because I found myself suddenly reading The Press online from my home in Japan.
Christmas here is nothing near as magical as a Christmas in CDA. For eight years, I was part of making the magic come alive on the Lake Coeur d'Alene cruise boats, first as a dock elf, then later as a bartender and deckhand.
For me, Christmas begins with the cloud of hot cocoa powder that flies back up at you as you make 10 gallons of hot chocolate for the first round of Lights Cruises on the day after Thanksgiving. Christmas is walking under an archway of twinkling lights as I walk down to the Mish-a-Nock to start my shift. Christmas is taking my little sister on a cruise during my only day off, because you have to enjoy some of the magic, even when you’re the one who’s usually making it all happen.
In Japan, Christmas is some chicken and a strawberry cake on Christmas Eve. Not bad, but also not nearly as whimsical as a ride to the North Pole.
I close my eyes, and I’m often back there in Coeur d’Alene, surrounded by Christmas lights as the crunch crunch of snow under my feet leads me to that cloud of hot cocoa powder.
I got to bring my two sons to Coeur d’Alene for Christmas in 2021, and they have asked to go back for Christmas every year since. I hope someday, I’ll get to share a bit of my hometown magic with them and their little sister again soon.
Renee Koike
Sparkle, Santa and school desks
This is a story about these little doll school desks. They are very old desks. Once upon a time, one of Santa's elves was a little girl. Her name was Sparkle and she loved to play school with her favorite dolls. Sparkle had two dolls and would sit each one at its own desk. She would teach her little dolls arithmetic, history, French and reading. She would also teach her dolls about the animals in the forest and about enchanted lands far across the oceans.
Sparkle eventually grew up and she became the leader of Santa's team of Christmas elves. Sparkle never had any children of her own, so she could not give her little doll school desks to one of her own girls. This Christmas, Sparkle was reading all the letters sent to Santa containing children's Christmas wishes. She noticed that a little girl named Greta gave Elfie a note asking Santa for a little doll school desk for her favorite doll, Baby Missy. Sparkle also checked Santa's list of little girls and noticed that Greta had a little sister named Caroline. She saw that Caroline also loved to play school with her dolls.
Sparkle was very excited to read this and she rushed straight to Santa. She asked Santa if it would be OK to give one of her little doll school desks to a little girl named Greta and the other to Greta's sister, Caroline.
Santa was very pleased with Sparkle's thoughtfulness. He said that giving was an important part of the spirit of Christmas. Santa asked Sparkle to help him write a note to send along with the little doll school desks. They would explain to Greta and Caroline the history of the desks. It would let the girls know that the desks were very old. The note would also explain why the desks showed a few signs of wear, since Sparkle's dolls once used them to play school.
I hope you both enjoy Sparkle's little doll school desks and have many hours of fun with your dolls playing school.
John Deus of Coeur d'Alene wrote this story in 2015 to his two granddaughters, Greta and Caroline, from Santa. The girls still have the desks.
The best of Christmases in a church basement
"The year was 1968, I was 6 years old, and it was our first Christmas in Coeur d’Alene. My dad had just accepted the pastorate at the Church of God on the corner of Fourth and Miller, and we had moved into the church basement until we found a house to live in. My older brother had returned from Vietnam in the summer but was stationed in Kentucky, so it was just Mom, Dad and me.
What made that Christmas so special for me was even through all of the chaos for my parents of moving and new jobs, plus getting me started in school for first grade, they took the time to arrange for an amazing Christmas gift — a wardrobe of handmade Barbie clothes for all of my Barbies. My brother’s new mother-in-law was an excellent seamstress, and my parents engaged her to create a magical gift for me that was so very special.
As Christmas Eve came, and I really wondered how Santa was going to find me in the basement apartment of a church, Mom and I set out cookies and milk for Santa as we always did. I can still remember the excitement of waking up Christmas morning to find my special present. But what made it even more special was that my brother and his new wife had driven across the country to surprise us on Christmas morning! What had seemed would be a dismal Christmas turned into the best one of all!"
Kandi Johnson
A special friend brought joy on Christmas Eve
The year was 1968, when winters were hard to feed a family of 11, let alone buy Christmas gifts! Dad worked hard at the mill while Mom cooked and cleaned. She didn’t get much sleep in those days of raising kids. Our family had some hard times and some very good friends who made one Christmas very special.
To all of us kids' surprise, there was a knock on our door the night before Christmas. Oh boy, it was Santa Claus at our house delivering gifts. He came with a ho-ho and dumped a sack of gifts under the tree and then stuffed one of the youngest kids in the Christmas sack! That was so funny. At the time, we thought it was Santa.
Many years later, we found out it was our special friend, Howard Batchelder! He brought so much joy to our family that not one of us would forget that Christmas Eve! Love from: Marvin and Enith Lenz's kids!
Yvonne Palmer
A Very Special Day
When I think upon the Christmas child
It’s hard to comprehend.
Why God would send his only Son
To take away man’s sin.
But in his love he sought to draw
All men unto his side.
So he sent his Son to earth to live.
He sent his Son to die.
To die upon a rugged cross
His cleansing blood to shed.
To free mankind from all their sin.
Give life, not death, instead.
A life that shares eternity
With God on heaven’s throne.
If only we believe, receive.
And become his very own.
Yes Lord, it’s hard to comprehend.
But I believe it’s true.
The precious child born Christmas Day,
Was no one else but you.
And so I praise your holy name,
I celebrate your birth.
For a very special day it was.
The day you came to earth.
Glenna Fox
And this is the record, that God
hath given to us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
— I John 5:11