|
|
By Floyd and Marybeth Brown
"Christmas has always been a very special day for as long back as I can
remember," Ronald Reagan once reminisced, writing in a letter. "Maybe this was
due to my mother and her joyous spirit about the day."
Although President Reagan could have spent his White House Christmases with
family at his beloved ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif., he instead stayed in
Washington, D.C. This way, his sacrifice allowed Secret Service agents and other
aides to spend Christmas at home with their families. He was a thoughtful
person.
Reagan grew up in a desperately poor family. His father was a shoe sales clerk
who had trouble keeping a job, partly because he was an alcoholic. "There were
very few decorated trees in the years of my growing up," Reagan said when
recalling his childhood. "But never defeated, my mother would, with ribbon and
crepe paper, decorate a table or create a cardboard fireplace out of a packing
box. And she always remembered whose birthday it was and made sure we knew the
meaning of Christmas."
His mother Nelle was an optimistic Christian woman who always looked for the
positive side in every situation. President Reagan explained, no matter how bad
things were for their family, his mother was always finding someone worse off
than them. Reagan's most vivid early memory of his mother was of her taking a
covered dish to a needy family. Nelle was always gladly helping others.
Perhaps those lean years are one reason why Ronald Reagan once said a particular
Christmas gift was especially memorable for him, calling it "a gift truly in
keeping with the spirit of the day." It became his favorite gift. His older
brother, Neil, gave it to him after struggling to find a suitable gift for his
brother. At the time, they both were middle-aged adults with successful careers.
Neil solved his dilemma by writing a letter. In the letter, Neil told his
brother he had found a truly needy family with small children "who wouldn't go
to bed with dreams of Santa Claus in their head." Ronald Reagan recounted how
his brother Neil changed that and "became Santa himself, providing a Christmas
from tree to turkey plus toys and gifts for all." Included in Neil's letter was
a very detailed, blow-by-blow account, describing the "joy of the children and
the grateful happiness of their mother."
This act of charitable giving by Neil reads like the ending of Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol," thus becoming President Reagan's most unforgettable
Christmas gift. He called it "a gift that will never grow old," as he enjoyed
re-reading the letter and thinking about the family's reaction to Neil's
generosity.
Helping and serving others gives true joy and happiness, not only to the
recipient, but even more so to the giver. Maybe Neil's gift was particularly
touching to Reagan because he knew what it was like to go without.
Today, there are still families out there who are in difficult circumstances,
facing a bleak Christmas. A gift like Neil's may be the perfect gift for you to
give to that someone in your life who has everything. Your church or locally
based charities such as the Salvation Army are aware of needy families. You
could make a difference and receive special Christmas joy by giving to a family
who has hit hard times. Then, write a letter similar to Neil's describing the
family's reactions, and give it as a gift. This is the true spirit of Christmas.
While speaking to the nation on Christmas Eve 1984, President Reagan said
"families and friends across America will join together in caroling parties and
Christmas Eve services. Together," he said imparting his usual optimism, "we'll
renew that spirit of faith, peace, and giving which has always marked the
character of our people."
At the end of his tale, Dickens writes, "it was always said of [Scrooge], that
he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.
May this be said of all of us. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every
One!"
Merry Christmas!
---
© 2012, Floyd and Mary Beth Brown. The Browns are bestselling authors and
speakers. Together they write a national weekly column distributed exclusively
by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Floyd's latest book is "Obama's Enemies
List, How Barack Obama Intimidated America and Stole the Election." See more at
Floyd's blog on www.WesternJournalism.com.
See Also:
Christmas Home | Sermons Home | General Sermons and Essays | Articles Home | Library - Home
-------
Malankara World
A service of St. Basil's Syriac Orthodox
Church, Ohio
Copyright © 2009-2020 - ICBS Group. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer
Website designed, built, and hosted by
International Cyber Business Services, Inc., Hudson, Ohio
