gifts of simplicity

 a much-loved kitty, one Christmas gift I shall keep with me for ever!

The song, "The Little Drummer Boy," is such a poignant song at this time of year. It has been performed by many, but to truly feel the meaning of Christmas, the original, sung by the Harry Simeone Chorale, is the one that can bring me to tears.

I have heard it many times over, but yesterday, as it played again, the irony hit me like a lead weight. A poor child, offering nothing but his gift of playing a drum to another poor child, born in a cold and lowly stable and laying in what was an animal feed trough, yet was believed to be a King, it just boggles the mind!

For many years now, I have set out a decoration for Christmas that really is not a decoration at all. It was my son's toy when he was young. A once-white little cat, much loved, sits among the poinsettias on a shelf. My son carried that thing through good times and bad. It went to church with him, he held at at many a doctor's appointments, it has withstood the test of time. Even when his older brother began to call him a sissy for having it, that kitty stayed by my son's side until his middle school years, when he finally tossed it aside. It was then that I took over, keeping it safe in a box until the day my husband and I moved from their childhood home. Now three hours away from my kids, that cat is a gentle reminder that Christmas isn't the large, expensive gifts but rather, a quiet memory of days gone by.

 Here is my Christmas gift to you, nothing too fancy, just a hope that as you listen to this song, you too will feel that sense of innocent hope that was born in a stable that brought so much Joy to our sad world! (click below)

The Little Drummer Boy