Today I wanted for the 1st Day of December to share a Christmas Story with you.
THE GRINCH STOLE OUR CHRISTMAS by John Hilton III
"One of my favorite Christmas memories was the time that the Grinch stole our Christmas. I was 23, recently married, and my wife and I were spending Christmas with my parents and three of my siblings ( ages 13 to 18 ). As was our custom, all of the kids gathered in my parents' bedroom while my dad went downstairs to check and see if Santa had come to visit us. "Uh oh," we heard him call out. "Something bad has happened!" My dad is prone to saying that type of thing on Christmas morning, so I wasn't worried. But when we came downstairs there were no presents, no stockings, and no Christmas tree. Even the decorations were gone. Everybody was stunned.
On the fireplace was a note from the Grinch saying that he had stolen our Christmas! The Grinch had left a box containing 20 sacks, and he said in his note that if we would drive into downtown Seattle and distribute the sacks amongst homeless people he might bring our gifts back. Each sack contained some fruit, McDonald's coupons, and a few other items.
So the five of us drove into Seattle and started searching for the homeless people. They were not hard to find. It was humbling to see many people on the streets, obviously not enjoying the warmth and goodness that we knew was waiting at home for us. We parked the care and began approaching people.
The vast majority of those we met gave us friendly smiles and expressed thanks. As we drove home, I felt a profound gratitude for the wonderful Christmas I was experiencing, in contrast to that faced by so many others. When we arrived, everything had magically reappeared-stockings, gifts, tree and decorations. It was a Christmas that my family remembers and stands out as having an impact-not because of the gifts we received, but because of how "the Grinch" helped us give to others.
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