"From the Land of No Christmas ~ MERRY!"
I am writing this from Chacala, Nayarít, Mexico. It is quite warm, there is no white Christmas, no sleigh bells jingling or red-nosed reindeer, no halls decked with boughs of holly. There are no chestnuts roasting by open fires, no frosty snowmen, no partridges in pear trees, and certainly no silent nights (but the roosters are for a different story).
Without these familiar triggers into the sentiments and activities of Christmas, it seems very far away and foreign. I appreciate all the e-mails wishing me a Merry Christmas! Thank You. I will remain merry, trust me on this.
We often read stories passed around the internet that pull at our heartstrings-- about kids or people who do good things for others. They are always about strangers, anonymous heroes, and sometimes I wonder if they are even real people. I want to share a story from one of our very own.
Kristy Thompson lives in Marin County, California, is a real person who has traveled this Toltec path with me for the last couple of years.
Here is her story:
"I just stopped at the bank to cash a check from a client I've been waiting for for two months. I was really happy to get it because I needed the money to make it through December. There was a Salvation Army Christmas tree in the bank, with cards all over it-- with gift requests from young children in Marin City, a poor area of Marin County.
"Nobody had purchased anything for any of these kids. The economy is slow right now-- my family and I aren't exchanging gifts this year. We are going to be together, eat, drink and be merry, share in each other's company, and just be. It actually feels like it's going to be one of the best Christmases ever. (Read: "No expectations, No obligations, Just Love!")
"I cashed my check at the bank and ran next door to Longs to get something. I noticed some Barbie Dolls on sale for $4.99 and I had seen a couple of cards on the tree at the bank wanting a black Barbie for Christmas so I picked up a couple of them and took them up to the cash register. It turned out they were not on sale, they were $14.99 each, and I didn't think I could afford that so I took them back to the shelf where I found them.
"Right next to them were beautiful black ballerina Barbies for $8.99 each, and I thought "What the heck, this is a good price, better than $14.99 and I want to do this." It turned out they were $4.50 each on sale, unadvertised.
"So, I went back to the aisle where I found them and bought all six black Barbie dolls. (I figured "for that price how could I go wrong?"). I took them back to the bank and lo and behold there were, in fact, six cards from young girls ages 3-8 requesting black Barbies. I taped each girl's request carefully to each packaged doll and gently placed all six dolls in the Salvation Army Christmas donation barrel.
"As I left the bank, I felt better about Christmas than I had in years.
I am not exchanging Christmas gifts with even my family this year.
But giving anonymously to six little girls, who only wanted Barbies, has made me so happy I wanted to cry."
That, for me, is the Christmas Spirit, and we can have it anywhere, anytime. It comes from within, from out hearts, and is shared with the world in whatever form Spirit inspires. Here is the final part of Kristy's sharing:
Celebrate Love! Share Love!
Each one of us is pure Love.
You. Me. Us.
I am wishing each and everyone one of you who reads this newsletter (and to all the ones who are too busy), a warm, heart-centered, and generous Christmas and holiday time.
Merry Christmas
Happy New Year
Joyful Divinity
And Love.
Allan
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