A few years ago, when I was still married, and lived in West Texas, I had all my grandchildren for Christmas that year.They aged from 13 to 6. They came down a week before their parents were to arrive.
I wanted to do something different that year..It was always the same thing..get up and tear into the presents and watch TV all day. I was tired of it and wanted to have a special Christmas the kids could remember.
What we decided on was a treasure hunt. I had all the kids draw a name out of a hat. Then they had to go outside and in a given area, they had to find a hiding place for the presents of the child whose name they had drawn. We lived on 25 acres, so we went out and made boundries from the house to the horse barn ect. Each one had to write clues that would then be hidden, under a rock or in a flower pot, ect..that clue would lead to another clue which would lead to another clue and finally to the presents. A copy of all clues and the hiding places were given to me.
On Christmas Eve day all the presents for each child (and I mean ALL) were put into a large trash bag and taken to their perspective hiding places.
LOL It snowed during the night! I awoke to find several inches of the white stuff covering everything! We discussed going out and bringing in the presents, but then the grandkids were up and jumping up and down laughing and looking for boots and gloves...they didn't even wait for breakfast..or change from PJ's to clothes...they just grabbed jackets and gloves and were out the door. It took them a couple of hours to find all the clues and finally their gifts. It was a happy bunch of kids that dragged snow covered bags across the ground to the house where they finally got to open their presents!
They all agreed it was the best Chrisatmas they ever had!
I hope they never forget it and some day in the future they do the same for their kids and grandkids.

That's so nice, Viv and a lot of love and effort went into seeing that the day was special. My Christmas group would spin around and run into a wall if anything was changed on Christmas.
One year I made up a game and presented it and the room fell silent like I was an alien and they were going to be needle probed.

That Christmas, many years ago, was a particularly blessed Christmas season with more than enough to go around. That year I prayed for God to show me the magic of Christmas so that it would not be lost on all the material "things".

A series of events unfolded that could only be God working at His best.

First, somehow I had bought one too many of the small stuff, such as coloring book, crayons, small toys, candy etc. than I needed. I just thought to myself, wow Mary, you must be loosing it to miscount like that! Then came Christmas Eve when my grand-daughter opened her present ( a MUCH sought after doll of that year) to only find out that she had already gotten one. I told her not to worry that G'ma would take it back and get something else.

The next day, for SOME reason, (well WE know who sent us) we received a phone call from a VERY impoverished second cousin of my husband's. He said that he just felt he wanted to reconnect and invited us over. We happily went to their modest home to find a tiny Christmas tree and a meager amount of food that they INSISTED that we share with them. Their little daughter, around 4 years of age, showed us the little doll that she got from Santa. ( It probably cost only a couple of bucks and would break within days if not hours). She said she liked her dolly, but what she REALLY wanted was, you guessed it, the doll that I had at home. She had NOT got any other presents that year.

My husband and I looked at each other and we just KNEW what we HAD to do. We made up an excuse that we had to run home for something and would be right back. We hurried home giddy with excitement as we lovingly wrapped that special doll in special Santa paper, as well as all of those extra toys, trinkets, and candy that I had no idea WHY I had bought, all the while, thanking God for our Christmas miracle!!

When we got back, we laid out the pile of presents on their porch and told them as we went in that Santa must not have been able to get in their house last night because he had left a bunch of stuff on the porch....well she ran out of the front door so fast we barely saw her!!!!

It still brings tears to my eyes at the sight of that small child's Christmas joy and having her faith restored, if only for that year.

Years have passed and we lost contact with that family once again, but the awe and wonder of how God works through us still warms my heart to this day.

May you all find that special miracle this Christmas and may God's special love bestowed upon you!

Wow, you and Viv have such great stories! What fun and yours is the real sprit of Christmas. Thanks so much for sharing this, REALLY made my day (and it's only morning!)
May we all find that special miracle this Christams and God's love touch us all this year like no other! Merry Christmas you guys, and thanks again!

Yes! that was a "Christmas miracle", thank you for sharing that with all of us, Merry Christmas............

Thank you Mary for sharing that...Anyone else have a special story to share?

Beautiful memories
Start at that moment
Only once is the magic
Except when you share it.

RL 12/23/2009

Thank you for your tender moments.

Ahh, nice! Thanks

Thank you Sadie!

Okay...tonight a woman called and asked did we have a Christmas dinner for her family. She was staying in a suite with her Aunt (who was paying for it) and 5 children under the age of 8. (2,3,5,7,8). Someone had donated a dinner to a senior friend of mine through HUD and she asked me yesterday did I know anyone who might want it. Over the weekend, a group of people donated brand new toy trucks, coloring books, 3 disney dolls, stuffed animals, Candyland and other sm. child. board games. We werte going to wrap them but ran out of time. I called the woman and her bil was going to bring her around 7. My boss went and got the dinner, and while on the phone asked if she had any food. She told me she was starting work next week and had nothing. So we also put together a huge food box and waited. While cleaning up, they arrived. All the children were there, and the cutest little elves I've seen (mom was tiny herself). While waiting the supervisor of Welfare shows up with about 20 toys all wrapped..with ages and f/m on them. We had to get the presents out to the car so I told the children they had to stay in the dining room and eat their cookies because Santa had stopped by earlier and dropped off some presents for them there by mistake and they weren't allowed to see them until Christmas. They were all standing there, got very quiet, their eyes huge and nodded in solemn agreement. The 2 year old then wandered in from the pantry and they got all worried when they saw her after she was picked up in the kitchen and I assured them that she was sworn to a secret not to tell...and they were so releived. The mom, her name was Eve, was so grateful. As they were leaving they all wanted another cookie except the 8 year old. I asked her if she wanted a apple and she said yes. After getting her one the second 2 eldest piped up...they wanted one too. So we get 2 more apples. The baby..holds out her hands and says apple...with green sugar all over her fingers and face. We laughed and got her two, explaining one was for her sister(3 yo) who was already outside. She shook her head yes and all waved goodbye. That will become one of my most favorite Christmas memories, besides the spiritual message it's all about the babes.

Everything happens for a reason and I believe you got to witness and be part of a Christmas miracle!! Doesn't it make you feel all warm, fuzzy, and thankful to God? May you have a wonderful Christmas!

Now that will bring a tear to your eye! Thank you for sharing that story with us!

It was a year we struggled. The twins, Mary and Miles were 6. Mary had been back and forth to emergency, ongoing concerns since she was 13 months. I had given our name to an organization, hoping. So many people were hoping, too. We had given up a bit. Christmas Eve, we received a knock, and through our door came, carolers and a dozen Santa's. It was overwhelming and the children were wide eyed and awe struck. I don't remember everything, except, Mary glowed. You see, it was the last time she has enjoyed so much, except the precious moments she spends with her son. That night she started her symptoms again, heavier pain, more intense than ever. We had to take her 4 hours away. By the next day and hours in Emergency and endocrinology, a cyst was finally seen.
Surgery was a day later. Life smoothed out for a while. Still, for a moment, now, we remember that evening, the joy and a twinkle of forgetting pain.

I can understand some of what you were going through.
When my youngest was 7, he was accidently shot in both legs by his older brother while I was at work, 45 miles away. This happened in October..and by Christmas, he had already undergone 7 surgeries to save one of his legs, and I had no insurance.
That year for Christmas, the whole town came together and gave all three of my son Christmas presents. We'll never forget their kindness.