· 1/2 cup Hugs
· 4 tsp Kisses
· 4 cups Love
· 1 cup Special Holiday Cheer
· 1/2 cup Peace on Earth
· 3 tsp Christmas Spirits
· 2 cups Goodwill Toward Man
· 1 Sprig of Mistletoe
· 1 medium-size bag of Christmas Snowflakes
(the regular kind won't do!)

There was a kindly nobleman whose wife had died
of an illness leaving the nobleman and his three
daughters in despair. After losing all his money
in useless and bad inventions the family had to move
into a peasant's cottage, where the daughters did
their own cooking, sewing and cleaning. When it came
time for the daughters to marry, the father became even
more depressed as his daughters could not marry without
dowries, money and property given to the new husband's family.

One night after the daughters had washed out their clothing
they hung their stockings over the fireplace to dry. That night
Saint Nicholas, knowing the despair of the father,
stopped by the nobleman's house. Looking in the window
Saint Nicholas saw that the family had gone to bed.
He also noticed the daughters stockings.Inspiration struck
Saint Nicholas and he took three small bags of gold from his
pouch and threw them one by one down the chimney and they
landed in the stockings.The next morning when the
daughters awoke they found their stockings contained enough
gold for them to get married. The nobleman was able to see
his three daughters marry and he lived a long and happy life.

In the church "Christmas" refers to a twelve day period
that starts with Christmas day. This is where
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" comes from.
The world celebrates Christmas for twelve hours,
but the Church celebrates it for twelve days because the gift
of Christ is with us for twelve months of the year.
"The 12 Days of Christmas" - the song. When most people
hear of "The 12 days of Christmas" they think of the song.
This song had its origins as a teaching tool to instruct young
people in the meaning and content of the Christian faith.
From 1558 to 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not
able to practice their faith openly so they had to find other
ways to pass on their beliefs.

The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
is one example of how they did it. "The 12 Days of Christmas"
is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song
represents something of religious significance.
The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help young
Christians learn their faith. The song goes:

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me..."
The "true love" represents God and the "me" who receives
these presents is the Christian.

The "partridge in a pear tree" was Jesus Christ who
died on a tree as a gift from God.

The "two turtle doves" were the Old and New Testaments -
another gift from God.

The "three French hens" were faith hope and love -
the three gifts of the Spirit that abide(I Corinthians 13).

The "four calling birds" were the four Gospels which
sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

The "five golden rings" were the first five books
of the Bible also called the "Books of Moses."

The "six geese a-laying" were the six days of creation.

The "seven swans a swimming" were
"seven gifts of the Holy Spirit."
(I Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11)

The "eight maids a milking" were the eight beatitudes.

The "nine ladies dancing" were nine
fruits of the Holy Spirit.(Galatians 5:22-23)

The "ten lords a-leaping" were the Ten Commandments.

The "eleven pipers piping" were the eleven faithful disciples.

(New York Sun Editorial, 1897)

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there
is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun,
it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
* Virginia O'Hanlon *

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been
affected by the skepticism of a sceptical age.
They do not believe except they see. They think that
nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little
minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's,
are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect,
an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless
world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable
of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity and
devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to
your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would
be the world if there were no Santa Claus!
It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.
There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry,
no romance to make tolerable this existence.
We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight.
The external light with which childhood fills the world would
be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus!
You might as well not believe in fairies.
You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the
chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus,
but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down,
what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus,
but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.
The most real things in the world are those that neither
children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies
dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof
that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine
all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the
noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world
which not the strongest man,nor even the united strength
of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart.
Only faith, poetry, love and romance, can push aside that
curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory
beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is
nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus?
Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years
from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now,
he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.