Whats the true meaning of christmas to you?

Question

Merry Christmas!!!



Always believe in MIRACLES!!



Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin. The child climbed up on his lap,holding a picture of a little girl. "Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling.

"Your friend?" Your sister?



"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he

said sadly.



Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue.



"She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!"

the child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly.



Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's
face,

asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas.

When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help
the

child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but
halted.



"What is it?" Santa asked warmly.



"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but ..." the


old woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves
to

collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors.

"The girl in the photograph .. my granddaughter .. well, you see ..


she has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the

holidays," she said through tear-filled eyes. "Is there any way,
Santa

... any possible way that you could come see Sarah? That's all
she's

asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."



Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave

information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see

what he could do. Santa thought of little else the rest of that
afternoon.

He knew what he had to do. "What if it were MY child lying in that

hospital bed, dying," he thought with a sinking heart, "this is the
least I can do."



When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that
evening,

he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah
was

staying.

He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's
Hospital.



"Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.



Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother
earlier

that day.

"C'mon .... I'll take you there," Rick said softly.



Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa.

They found out which room Sarah was in.

A pale Rick said he would wait out in the hall.

Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and


saw little Sarah on the bed. The room was full of what appeared to
be

her family; there was the Grandmother and the girl's brother he had


met earlier that day.

A woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood

by the bed, gently pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead.

And another woman who he discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in
a

chair near the bed with weary, sad look on her face. They were
talking

quietly, and Santa could sense the warmth and closeness of the
family,

and their love and concern for Sarah. Taking a deep breath, and

forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered the room, bellowing a
hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!"



"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her
bed

to run to him, IV tubes in tact.



Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug. A child the
tender

age of his own son -- 9 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder
and

excitement. Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale
bald

patches from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he

looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and
he

had to force himself to choke back tears. Though his eyes were
riveted

upon Sarah's face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the


women in the room. As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept

quietly to the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or
his

hand gratefully, whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at
him

with shining eyes. Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told
him

excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd


been a very good girl that year. As their time together dwindled,

Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for Sarah, and asked for

permission from the girl's mother. She nodded in agreement and the

entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding hands. Santa
looked

intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in angels.



"Oh, yes, Santa ... I do!" she exclaimed.



"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you, "he said.

Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and
prayed.

He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this
disease.

He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And when
he

finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing
softly,

"Silent Night, Holy Night . all is calm, all is bright."

The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and

crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed
at

them all. When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed
again

and held Sarah's frail, small hands in his own.



"Now, Sarah," he said authoritatively, "you have a job to do, and

that is to concentrate on getting well. I want you to have fun
playing

with your friends this summer, and I expect to see you at my house
at

Mayfair Mall this time next year!" He knew it was risky proclaiming


that, to this little girl who had terminal cancer, but he "had" to.
He

had to give her the greatest gift he could -- not dolls or games or


toys -- but the gift of HOPE.



"Yes, Santa!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.



He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left the room.

Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a look passed

between them and they wept unashamed. Sarah's mother and

grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and rushed to Santa's

side to thank him.



"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly.

"This is the least I could do." They nodded with understanding

and hugged him.



One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set in Milwaukee
for

his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks
went

by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap.

"Hi, Santa! Remember me?!"



"Of course, I do," Santa proclaimed (as he always does), smiling
down at her.



After all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always make
each

child feel as if they are the "only" child in the world at that
moment.



"You came to see me in the hospital last year!" Santa's jaw
dropped.



Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he grabbed this little

miracle and held her to his chest. "Sarah!" he exclaimed. He
scarcely

recognized her, for her hair was long and silky and her cheeks were


rosy -- much different from the little girl he had visited just a
year

before. He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and grandmother in
the

sidelines smiling and waving and wiping their eyes.



That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus.

He had witnessed --and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing

about -- this miracle of hope. This precious little child was
healed.

Cancer-free. Alive and well.

He silently looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered, "Thank you,


Father. ' Tis a very, Merry Christmas!"

Answer 1

Im sorry for all the rude crude remarks you received. I dont know if that actually happened but id like to beleive it could
God works miracles every day
Id love to see more of your stories
God bless
lets all pray for those who cant see the truth right in front of them

Answer 2

It was a nice story, though I agree, it probably is bogus. Hope can be powerful. I imagine that losing all confidence in your ability to live can be damaging. And so in some cases people may be helped by prayer. But, I was reading some article about prayer actually having a negative effect on some people, especially if they were aware they were being prayed for.

Answer 3

That was very nice to read, thank you for posting. For me the meaning of Christmas is to be thankful for everything I have been given, family, friends, and to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, for without him none of these things would be possible!
Merry Christmas!

Answer 4

Nice allegory, sweet.

Totally bogus though, pending release of the medical records for verification.

Answer 5

Commercialism and overindulgence!
.

Answer 6

Your smarmy christian urban legend is too long to read and there is no real question here.