To Claus or Not to Claus

By John McNeal

Have you ever seen the movie “The Christmas Story” by Jean Shepherd?  It is the semi-fictional story of a small-town American family that lived in Hohman, Indiana in the late 1940’s. Throughout the story, the main character “Ralphie” tries to convince everyone that he needs a Red Ryder BB gun. Can you picture Ralphie and his brother bundled up in their winter gear to face the open cold? How about the first time you saw Ralphie getting to eat his favorite soap? I really enjoy that movie. I try to watch it every year because it reminds me a lot about my past. Yes, I went to great lengths to get a BB gun, and I still have pictures of my brother David and I dressed like Ralphie’s brother to face the frigid, northern Illinois temperatures. Last but not least, I imagine Dial soap tastes about the same as Lifebuoy soap. I guess the only real differences between my childhood experience and Ralphie’s, besides the fact that his made it into the movies and mine didn’t, are that my father never won a leg lamp and I never got to beat up my bully.
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Stop Blowing Your Top

By Pam Kumpe
    
Do you keep your house spotless? Do you spend hours getting ready for family gatherings? Are you worn out by the time your guests arrive?

If you are troubled by a messy house, then this story is for you. If you want to spend more time with family — again this story is for you.

I will never forget the night the trees all blew their tops. It was a night of icy roads and downed power lines. Within hours the electricity went off, and Christmas Eve became a night of listening to booming sounds, a dark cold night.
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The Little Drummer Boy a.k.a. the Carol of the Drum

By Freddie W. Parks Jr.

Isn’t it wonderful how inspiration comes to life?  The Lord has such wonderfully creative ways of placing the spark of wisdom into our minds.  For some, it is a mundane ride through rush hour traffic that prompts revelation.  Still other times, it’s during fervent prayer.   And in the case of Katherine K. Davis, it came toher while she was trying to take a nap.

Katherine K. Davis was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on June 25th, 1892.  From a young age, she showed much musical talent and interest.  When she was only 15 years old, she composed her first piece of music called “Shadow March”.  But, the world would best remember Katherine Davis for the contribution of a much loved Christmas carol; The Little Drummer Boy (originally named The Carol of the Drum).
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Why the Cold Water?

By Dan Miller

Here’s a story from Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques (2nd Edition) by Michael Michalko.  Imagine a cage containing five monkeys.  Inside the cage there is a banana on a string.  Before long a monkey walks over and reaches for the banana.  As soon as he touches the banana, all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water.  After a while another monkey makes an attempt to grab the banana – with the same result.  All the monkeys are instantly sprayed with cold water.  Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to reach for the banana, the other monkeys will try to stop him.

Now forget the cold water.  Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.  The new monkey sees the banana and obviously goes over and starts to grab it.  But to his surprise, all of the other monkeys attack him to prevent him from touching the banana. 
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O Christmas Tree

By Raquel Soto
    
While I was writing this article, it was amazing to see how early people were starting to shop for Christmas presents. My husband even asked me what I wanted for Christmas months in advance! I’m still working on my list.

I was thinking about Christmas in October of all things. I was on a business trip in London and they have a fabulous store called Harrods. By the time I got there in mid-October, they had their Christmas floor flowing in a beautiful array of colors. Ornaments from small to large, from pretty to down right corny could be found. It was quite lovely. I couldn’t resist buying a few ornaments that just yelled out: I’m from Britain! I even bought one for myself made of magnificent crushed, red velvet in the shape of a teapot.
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