Will cat eat the magi? (12/22/2008)

It's almost Christmas; my favorite holiday of the year. The nativity has been up for several weeks now. Gracie, the calico cat, seems to be enchanted with the magi. She ignores the holy family and sniffs the three kings at least once a day.

I don't think she smells frankincense or myrrh and gold doesn't have any unique scent that I can discern. There must be something about them that fascinates her. So far she hasn't tried to eat any of them.

I can't say the same for the candy that a customer gave to my diabetic husband. Gracie immediately claimed the ribbon as her own. At one point she had it draped decoratively over her tail as she strolled through the house.

Then she sat on the candy box and tried to eat the cardboard. She ripped a good part of it to shreds before going back to playing with the ribbon and helping me wrap presents.

By the time you read this all the boxes will have been sent and with any luck, the gifts that stay here will be encased in brightly colored, if somewhat wrinkled paper.

My daughter called to say that the first of the packages had arrived and Emma was busy playing with the mechanical bank I had sent. I asked my granddaughter if she would like us to come to see her after Christmas and she said, "No."

Her mom told her that we would probably bring presents. Emma replied scornfully, "Santa brings presents."

I asked if she had been to see Santa yet. She told me no, but that when she did she was going to sit on him! It almost sounded like a threat.

We all know that Christmas is about more than Santa and presents. It is about being with family and showing them that we love them. It is about making thousands of buckeyes because they are someone's favorite or smelling up the house with whatever food that everyone but you likes.

It is about all the little children and the children in us all. Who doesn't like receiving toys for Christmas? Even the adults get toys in my family.

With the economy hovering on the brink of disaster and the dreary winter before us, now more than ever, we need toys. We need remote control airplanes to crash into the ceiling fan, books to read, puzzles to assemble, bulbs to plant and various projects to begin.

We need lots and lots of wrapping paper for our annual wrapping paper fight that lasts for several hours. Long after the first flurry of flying paper is over someone will find a wadded up piece and fling it at an unsuspecting person who will promptly throw it at someone else.

In the midst of all the merriment we will take time to remember the real reason for Christmas and whisper a heart-felt, "Happy Birthday, Jesus" and give thanks to God for family; especially for family members who can't hit the broad side of a barn.

We believe in Santa Claus and in Jesus; in laughter and in hope. We believe that things will get better while still believing that things are darkest right before it goes totally black. We believe in babies in mangers and Frosty the snowman. We believe in oyster dressing and fruitcake. We believe in the power of family and the love of God. We believe in good.[[In-content Ad]]