Where Are You Christmas?

Phyllis, age eighty, was admitted to hospice for lung cancer in August of 2008. Phyllis and her deceased husband, Floyd, had six children and a colorful life together, partly because of their frequent moves. They lived in Xenia, Ohio for five years; moved to Wilmington, Ohio where they owned a grocery store until it burned down. Next they moved back to Xenia, then to Phoenix Arizona, and then to the desert between Las Angeles and Las Vegas, where the entire family operated a “Stuckeys” roadside service station-restaurant. But it’s their pilgrimage to, and experiences in, Phoenix Arizona that I want to focus on today. I’ll let Phyllis tell their story:

“We moved to Arizona because Pam had spinal meningitis. She was around three years old at the time. She was susceptible to colds and infections so the doctor told us that we needed to move her to a better climate. So we stored our furniture and took what money we had and headed to Arizona; all seven of us in a station wagon. We had five kids from ages two to twelve, and a little dog. And all we had with us was our clothes.

We didn’t know anybody in Phoenix and when we got there we stopped at a small hotel to stay the night. When we told the hotel manager our story he said, ‘I have a house just for people like you. It has everything you need. It’s fully furnished.’” Phyllis reflected, “I always thought that God takes care of you, that there is somebody watching over us. But that proved it to me. We ended up staying there for three months until we got another house.”

Phyllis continued, “Floyd was an architectural cabinetmaker. He was good at woodworking. He had good references and a good reputation so he never had any trouble finding a job. He always ended up the manager every place he worked. But things were tough when we first moved to Arizona. We told the kids that Santa wasn’t going to be able to bring them much that year.”

Pam took over the story from there, “Mom made popcorn balls and dad made a Christmas tree out of them. We opened our presents and we all got wooden airplanes with propellers on them and we spent the whole day together flying our planes. We flew then in the dry water canal across the road from our house. That way we didn’t have to walk as far to pick them up. We had hot dogs for lunch and Sauer kraut and wieners and mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner.” Phyllis added, “But we wouldn’t have had hot dogs if my mom hadn’t sent me some money. We only had one or two dollars left to our name.” Pam concluded, “It was the best Christmas we ever had. We laughed, and smiled and played together. It was the best Christmas we ever had because we were all together. It was family.”

A few weeks ago Phyllis and Pam gave me a surprise present, a balsa wood airplane just like the one they got for Christmas, just like the ones that I used to play with as a child. Now it sits on the book case in my office as a reminder of what Christmas is really all about.

It’s easy to lose the true meaning of Christmas in the midst of all the hustle and bustle. It reminds me of the song, “Where are you Christmas”, from the movie, “The Grench Who Stole Christmas”: “Where are you Christmas, where can I find you, why have you gone away? Where is the laughter you used to bring me, why can’t I hear music play? My world is changing, I’m rearranging. Does that mean Christmas changes to? Where are you Christmas do you remember, the one you used to know? I’m not the same one; see what the time has done. Is that why you have let me go? Christmas is here…if you care. If there is love in your heart and your mind, you will feel like Christmas all the time. I feel you Christmas; I know I’ve found you. You never fade away. The joy of Christmas stays here inside us. Fills each and every heart with love…Fill your heart with love.”

A fellow pilgrim shared this quote with me and told me that I should include it in this story, and I agree; “If you don’t have Christmas in your heart, you aren’t’ going to find it under a tree.”

“…God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”. (I John 4:7-11)