There are those who look forward to the December 25th arrival of the Jolly Old Elf, Santa himself, while there are some who condemn the presence of this usurper of the real meaning of Christmas, the Birthday of the One True King.  Of course for children, their innocence is yet to be disturbed by such “what are you talking about Santa does not belong in Christmas” talk.
She and her husband wanted to get a head start on their Christmas shopping while the stocks were high and the crowds manageable so they did what most shoppers would do, hit the mall.  But she remembered past Christmases when she was free to “shop ‘til you drop” which unlike this season when she was battling a foot surgery that limited her movements requiring the aid of a wheel chair.  She recognized her mobility problem and tried to arrive at her shopping destination san the bustle of the typical crowd.  And this had at least one unexpected advantage.  Santa had no customers at his North Pole headquarters, but he was the last one this thirty something, temporarily grounded shopper expected to encounter.  Life, it is said, is not what you plan; it is what happens AFTER you plan. One of life’s little surprises an unexpected Christmas gift was waiting to happen.
Strolling past the center of the mall near the food court and not paying any particular attention to the Santa attraction, she heard a remark being addressed to her, the lone attendant at the time. She paid little attention since she was checking her list twice for the business of the day.
But the fat man in the red suit, the possessor as a bushy white beard continued to attract her attention so she and her escort stopped to determine what was the matter at hand, thus the question addressed to her:
“What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?”
She was not interested and indicated that there was nothing in particular and then on the spur of the moment, she thought of one gift, one that was she believed was presently beyond reality.
“What I really want, she stated somewhat jokingly, is to be able to walk independently.”
And with that, the rotund one with his elf/photographer assistant walked over to the wheelchair, held her hand and said, “I think we can help with your request with the help of a Friend of ours. And with that, he delivered a prayer for her request to be answered.
No one surely did expect this coming from a ‘commercial’ petitioner,  Santa,  but then the prayer door is opened to everyone.
And the answered prayer?  It’ll be the empty space under the
Christmas tree where the wheel chair had once been parked.
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Bill Lee
P.O. Box 128
Hamer, SC 29547