Christmas Crutches

Can you remember what you asked Santa for when you were a kid?  I can remember a few things, TV, dolls, Disney play sets, easy bake oven, and Polly pocket.  Were you spoiled at Christmas time, or was it more modest?  I can definitely say I was spoiled at Christmas time, maybe not every year, but there were some years I got quite a haul.  Did the real spirit of Christmas stay alive despite your level of spoil?  It is interesting to me that most Christmases of my past I don't remember everything I received, but I do remember the service of giving to others that my family did each year.  Even though I was quite spoiled it was balanced with service and kind acts at that time of year.  I always remember delivering my Mom's hot, fresh out of the oven rolls with homemade jam to all of the neighbors.  I remember delivering my widowed neighbor's sweet roll desert to all of the neighbors at Christmas time.  I remember trying to find someone who needed my brand new $5 bill that my parent's trusted me with.  I remember every secret Santa delivery on Christmas Eve that we did.  Sometimes I think our door-bell -ditch routine was more anticipated and exciting than Christmas morning and opening presents.  I also remember shoveling walks for people in the neighborhood.

Do I spoil my kids?  Yes, I do!  Do I love Santa, yes I do!  I also make sure that my kids see me give to others at Christmas time.  They go with me to deliver gifts to friends and neighbors.  As I try to establish our own Christmas giving traditions, I try first of all to be a good example of giving.  Right now I don't really have any set-in-stone traditions, but I give when I feel that spirit of giving inspire me.  My 5 year old daughter was an example to me last Christmas in a very unique way.  Have you ever heard the saying "The highest form of admiration is emulation"?  This is exactly what my, then 4 year old, daughter demonstrated.

Long before last Christmas my daughter, Lucy, befriended a little boy that we go to church with.  He is about 6 years older than her.  She was fascinated by his crutches.  He was born with Spina Bifida and has to walk with crutches.  He is super nice and always let her see his crutches.  At church she would always want to find him and talk to him, and see his crutches.  She just loves him!  She would sit with him in Primary (Sunday School for the children) even though she was not in his class. When he moved on to the young men's program from primary she did not want to go to primary anymore.  When I was serving in the Youth program of my church I would take my kids to the activities and whenever she saw this little boy she would have to sit by him or talk to him, one night I even saw her holding his hand!  Haha! It was so cute!  She just admired him so much that she would try to talk like him and she would talk about him all of the time!   When Christmas time came around last year all she wanted was crutches and boy church clothes so she could look just like her beloved friend!  So what do you do when your child just started believing in Santa and all she wants is crutches and boy church clothes?  You get her crutches and boy church clothes!!!  Yes! indeed that is what Santa brought her for Christmas!

She was so excited!  She loved her new clothes so much she did not take them off for at least 2 weeks straight, no exaggeration!  She slept in them too.  She had to take her crutches everywhere with her and let me tell you that was no pleasant or easy thing to do!  Haha!  She did not realize that she would be treated differently or looked at differently.  It did not matter to her she wanted to be like her friend who she looked up to!  A few days after Christmas we, as a family decided to go out for dinner.  It was a Saturday night and she insisted on wearing her special clothes and taking her crutches.  So I let her and she wore her special clothes so proudly!  It was a little awkward to have my non disabled child mimic a disabled child.  It must have been funny and peculiar to anyone who may have been watching to see a little child walk through the parking lot using the crutches one moment and then lifting them up while walking the next.  Not to mention this child was dressed in dress clothes with bright colored suspenders, a bow tie, and a neck tie on, all different colors.  Haha!  I can't imagine what people could have been thinking about us!  People saw my daughter and quickly moved out of the way or quickly opened her door.  If anyone as much as touched her they were immediately apologizing.  I wasn't quite sure how to respond, just go along with it, or stop and explain that the crutches were a toy of hers?  I decided to just let it go to avoid the unnecessary task of explaining and telling the story over and over again, although I took joy in telling it a few times here and there!  While in the restaurant as we approached the end of our meal.  My daughter insisted on getting out of the bench and walking around with her crutches and of course this made a bit of a scene.  I wanted to make sure she stayed out of the way of the many waiters and waitresses that were shuffling about.  She would not sit down or stay by our table so after some quiet frustration I finally said "If you don't sit down I'm going to take away those crutches!!!"  I did not yell or even raise my voice that loud, but it was loud enough that it earned me some weird and confused looks from some of the other patrons close by, haha!  As I sat down I quickly realized what this display looked like to others in the restaurant.  Yes, I looked like a mean woman who was willing to take away her poor child's crutches, what kind of person was I???  I then decided if there were ever a time when my silence was golden it was in that restaurant surrounded by wondering confused looks!  I had to be careful what I said because to others it looked like my child was injured or disabled.  That Christmas will never be forgotten!  The Christmas of the crutches!

With A Christmas Carol being my favorite book I could not help but make the comparison to Tiny Tim.  I thought it was fascinating that what most kids would see as something bad and find themselves grateful that they do not have to walk with crutches, my daughter thought it was an interesting thing.  She was very curious and not afraid to ask questions.  I think she was too young to really understand fully what her friend's life was like and how difficult things could be at times for him, for her to have the gratitude that some other kids may have realized.  She had a way of making her friend feel special because she thought he was the coolest person ever!  She saw his difference not as a bad thing, but a special thing.  Whenever she prays, her friend and his family are always in her prayers. When I had spoken to this friend of hers he would say that he always wanted kids, especially little ones, to not be afraid of him, because of this he is always willing to let the little kids play with his crutches.  He even allowed my daughter to steal them a few times at a Christmas party last year even though he needed them.  Myself and various others took his crutches back to him multiple times that night. He was incredibly nice about it and quite amused, I think.  She still loves him and enjoys talking to him and seeing him, it's sweet that they were able to make this bond.  I remember taking my daughter to his house right after Christmas to show him her new crutches.  She was so excited to show him and walk around the house with him, like him!  This touched his parents very much and they love Lucy so much for wanting to be like their son.

I'm so grateful that my sweet little child could be such a big example of love!  I'm always trying to be an example of love to my kids.  I don't think she ever even knew that she was being such a great example she was just being herself and expressing her love in a very unique way!  We all have gifts to be given and we all have our own special way of giving them.

Merry Christmas to everyone!  Hopefully we can always just be ourselves and express our love in our own way or in any way we know how!  Give your gifts in your own way and in your own time!