Christmas Past

Holiday shopping mania has always been driven by FOMO. This year, the fear of missing out is amplified to maximum levels due to the fear of running out from the supply-chain backlog. As a mom, I've survived all sorts of holidays where hot items have been in short supply, from Cabbage Patch dolls in the ‘80s to Nintento and the pull-string Woody and Buzz Lightyear action figures in the ‘90s.

I vividly remember feeling the agony of defeat after spending days traversing Long Island, hitting one shopping mall after another in a desperate attempt to locate the toy of the year, which was always inevitably at the top of my kids’ Christmas lists. Ugh…just thinking about it makes me want to reach for my wine glass. Many parents I knew waited on long lines into the wee hours of the night at toy stores, or paid exorbitant prices for “The Toy” so to have the perfect present under the tree on Christmas morning. But I just didn’t have it in me to do that. Time and budgets still ruled, maybe even more so during the holidays. I always wrestled with this. What reason would I tell my kids as to why Santa didn’t get them what they really wanted? Especially my son, who had a very short list this particular year, the only present he really wanted was the Woody action figure from Toy Story, and it was nowhere to be found. I’d felt the joy of the holiday season becoming overshadowed by the stress of the gift shopping. Reality check set in. I knew I had to turn things around… which, in doing so, resulted in a priceless life lesson. In the midst of unsuccessful gift-shopping madness, I had a magic moment of clarity about a gift I could give to my child that was far more important than having “The Toy” under the tree; here was a wonderful opportunity to teach my child empathy. So on this particular Christmas past, presents were piled under our brightly lit tree, and Santa’s cup of cocoa was empty with just a few cookie crumbs remaining on the plate put out for him. It was a Christmas morning like all the others my kids knew it to be. As usual, they snuck down to peek at the tree in hopes of a visit from old St. Nick, then bounded back up to our bedroom, dragging my husband and I out of bed to get the present party started. Now came the tricky part; kids want presents on Christmas, not explanations, so I had to get this right. When the unwrapping frenzy had finished, my son was clearly disappointed that his top-ofthe-list gift was absent. Before tears could start, I pointed out a festively decorated envelope propped up against Santa’s empty mug of cocoa. It had my son’s name on it beautifully written in gold. Inside the envelope was a letter written by Santa himself, explaining that it was an unusually busy year up at the North Pole because so many kids asked for the same toys. Despite the elves’ best efforts, they just plain ran out of time and the materials they needed to make his Woody action figure, one especially for him, and they hoped he would be understanding of their difficult situation. Since he was a very good boy that year, and they knew he would understand their predicament, his Woody doll would be delivered to him as soon as the elves had finished making a fresh batch, which would hopefully be by the first snowfall. I will never forget the look on my son’s face and the excitement of receiving this special letter. Hands-down the best gift ever. Our Christmas Day went on to be very merry and bright; we all learned something valuable that year. Here’s the best part… Fast forward to late January: the stores are full of Woody action figures at a fraction of the price they were only weeks before. I picked one up and prayed for snow. A few days later, my prayers were answered. The wooden garden bench beside our front door was visible through our foyer windows. This morning, it sat quietly on our front porch under a blanket of snow that had fallen overnight. Everything was covered in white as far as one could see through our glass front door…everything except Woody. I remember my son standing in our foyer, looking out at the snow, then suddenly seeing Woody sitting on the bench wearing his cowboy hat and boots…and a gold bow. He screamed with joy, “Mommy it’s my Woody doll!! HE’S HERE!!” He leapt outside to grab Woody and almost didn’t see that there was something else left for him. There, written in the snow on the porch, was another note: “To Michael, Thanks for waiting! - Santa”

Some shelves may be empty again this year; remember that the best gifts you can give (or receive!) are not always found beneath the tree. - JL