マイ・ワンダー・スタジオ

Thomas smiled widely. “Thanks, Kate. I like that idea.”

“Good, I do too. Before we decide on the first event, I have a surprise for you.” Kate had barely left the room for a minute when she returned with a decorated wheelchair. There were red and silver tassels hanging near the handles; a wreath on the back of the chair, complete with blinking battery-operated lights; and Thomas’ favorite set of Christmas bells clustered near the armrest.

“Dad picked this up this morning,” Kate explained. “I asked Mom to let me decorate it for you. We’ll need this to get around for all the Christmas fun.” Kate was bouncing up and down with excitement.

“That’s pretty cool,” Thomas said. “It’ll be nice to leave this room.”

Thomas bundled up and Kate helped him into the wheelchair so that they could go into the yard to enjoy the snow. Thomas managed to help Kate pack the snow together to form their seasonal snowman.

Thomas was pleased with the final product—the snowman stood tall and looked particularly splendid with the green scarf, felt top hat, and carrot nose.

That evening a number of Thomas’s friends visited him. It was the first time they’d seen him since his accident. They brought games, get-well gifts, and spent that evening doing their best to cheer him up. Thomas went to bed with a content feeling; this Christmas wasn’t looking so bad after all.

I wonder what I can do to thank everyone for their kindness, Thomas thought. It’d meant so much to him to have his friends over. He’d almost forgotten about his unfortunate accident.

Thomas finally fell asleep with a happy thought on his mind: he was going to find a way to make this Christmas special for those he loved. Even if he wouldn’t be able to get around as usual, he had a few ideas of how he could make it a wonderful time for those who meant the most to him.

The following day when Kate came to ask him what he wanted to do, Thomas talked with her about his idea.

“I know what we can do! We’ll need our arts and crafts supplies,” Kate said as she wheeled Thomas into the dining room. Before long the table was laden with everything they would need for their Christmas paper stockings.

Once the paper stockings had been crafted, Thomas labeled each one with the names of his family members and friends. The plan was that for every day leading up to Christmas, Thomas would place a piece of paper in each stocking. On the papers Thomas would either write something he appreciated about the person or a favor he would do for each person in the coming year.

The more Thomas thought about ways he could help others, the happier he was. He’d all but forgotten how sad he’d felt when he’d first been injured. This was turning out to be the best Christmas he had ever had.

It was Christmas Eve and the little family sat near the fireplace singing carols and enjoying their mother’s famous gingerbread cookies and spiced apple cider.

After several carols, Thomas proudly presented his paper stocking gifts to his family. “Thank you for making this Christmas special for me. Even though I wasn’t able to do all the usual things I like at Christmas, there were so many special things that I did get to do. I really am happy!”

Mother peered into her stocking and pulled out a leaf of paper. She silently read the words Thomas had written on the paper. Thank you for taking such good care of our family, Mom! I promise to help with the dishes whenever you need my help. She smiled at Thomas and kissed his head. “Thank you, Thomas! You are so thoughtful.” And she dug into her stocking again.

Before she could read the next coupon, Thomas’s father looked up from the leaf of paper he’d just read. “I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer to wash the car, Thomas,” he said. “Maybe once you’re up and around on that leg of yours. I can’t wait to see what other treasures there are in here,” he said as he pulled out another piece of paper.

Kate bounded over to Thomas and gave him a big hug. “Thanks for offering to take care of the dog for me when I am away at a sleepover.” Then with a smile and outstretched arms, she handed Thomas a paper stocking with his name on it. “I made one for you. Making this Christmas special for you made mine a happier one, too!” she said.

Thomas didn’t think he could smile any bigger. He felt so happy. “This really is the best Christmas EVER!” he exclaimed.

Risa: Or the Christmas carols, stories, and crafts?

Robbie: Is it about the tasty treats and delicious food?

Mother: Well, those are ways that we celebrate Christmas. Let me give you a hint as to what Christmas is about: Christmas is when we celebrate someone special. …

Mother: …We are celebrating His birthday at this wonderful time of year. Can you guess who that is?

Robbie and Risa: JESUS!

Mother: That’s right! Christmas is the time when we celebrate Jesus, God’s Son!

Robbie: But why do we celebrate Jesus’ birthday with Christmas trees, decorations, lights?

Risa: And why do we give presents to each other?

Mother: The ways we celebrate Christmas are ways that we can remember Jesus and show our happiness for Jesus’ life on earth.

Mother: When we see the beautiful Christmas lights, we can remember that Jesus is the light of the world. He brings light and love into our lives and hearts.

Mother: When we give presents to others, or we give of our time to make someone happy, we can celebrate the wonderful gift Jesus brought to us—salvation and forgiveness for our sins.

Risa: Oh! And when we sing Christmas carols together, we are singing our happiness as we remember Jesus’ birth.

Mother: Exactly!

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth¹ receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.”¹

Robbie: But what about the decorations and the Christmas tree? Why are they a part of Christmas?

Mother: Well, apart from being a wonderful way to bring a special Christmas feeling into our homes, many of the ornaments and decorations also remind us about Jesus and the miracle of the very first Christmas long ago.

Risa: The star at the top of the Christmas tree can remind us of the star that led the wise men to Jesus.

Mother: That’s right.

Mother: In olden days, the city or church bells were rung in celebration when something wonderful had taken place. Jesus’ birth was a marvelous event, and the bells remind us that we can tell others the good news about Jesus, God’s gift of love.

Robbie: The shape of the candy cane makes me think of a shepherd’s staff.

Mother: Yes, it does. And we can remember that God is like our caring shepherd who looks after us, His little sheep.

Risa: He can use the shepherd’s staff to rescue a lamb that is stuck.

Mother: Exactly.

Robbie: These angels remind me of the angels that God sent to tell the shepherds the good news of Jesus’ birth.

Mother: Yes. And God also sent angels to tell Mary and Joseph about the gift He was giving to them…

Risa: …The baby Jesus!

Risa: What about the wreath, Mother?

Mother: The wreath is shaped as a circle, and has no beginning or end. This gives us an example of God’s love for us, which is eternal and never-ending.

Robbie: That means He’ll love us forever and ever!

Mother: Absolutely!

Risa: Daddy, look!

Father: It’s beautiful!

Mother: Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus together as family and friends. It’s a time of year when we remember Jesus’ great love for us, and then we in turn can be a reflection of God’s love and kindness to others too.

Risa: I love Christmas!

Robbie: Me too.

What makes Christmas, do you know?
Is it pretty gifts and shiny toys
All wrapped up so nice and bright
For little girls and boys?

Is it pretty mistletoe, cheery lights,
And a sparkly Christmas tree?
No, these do not Christmas make;
I am sure it’s more than these.

Christ was born on this glad day,
And that’s what makes Christmas.
Christ was born on this glad day,
And that’s what makes Christmas.
Yes, that’s what makes Christmas!
—Author unknown

Footnotes:
¹ “Joy to the World”; lyrics by Isaac Watts (1674–1748) and music by George Frederick Handel (1685–1759)

Father let go of the kite. Thomas ran and ran, the kite trailing behind him, and then with a whoosh the kite was swept into the sky.

Thomas stopped running. “Look, Dad! It’s flying!”

They watched the kite fly this way and that. Sometimes a stronger breeze would push the kite higher into the sky, and Thomas hung on to the roll of string tightly so that the kite would not fly away.

But then it happened! A strong wind swept the kite up and up! The wind jerked the kite’s roll of string out of Thomas’ hands! Father jumped to catch the kite’s string, but the kite had been pushed very high by the wind—too high for Thomas or Father to grab hold of the string to get it back.

It was a sad boy who returned home with his father that day.

That night, as Thomas was getting ready for bed, he said, “Dad, I hope someone will find my kite.”

“We can pray that someone who has always wanted a kite will find it,” suggested Father.

“Maybe someone who needs an extra Christmas present!” added Thomas.

“Dear Jesus,” Thomas prayed, “I really liked that kite. But now it’s gone. Could You please help someone who needs it as a Christmas present to find it? Someone who has always wanted a kite? Amen.”

Thomas felt better. He knew that Jesus would answer his prayer.

It was Christmas Day, and Thomas thought that so far it had been the best Christmas yet. There had been a delicious Christmas breakfast, followed by opening the presents under the Christmas tree. And now he and his family were going to see the Nativity scene that had been set up at the entrance of Fair Garden Park.

As they arrived at the park, they saw that many other families had also come to look at the Nativity scene. And then Thomas looked up and saw it!

“Dad! Mom! Look! It’s my kite!”

“So it is!” said Father.

“And look, there’s a boy flying my kite.”

Father, Mother, Thomas, and older sister Kate watched as a boy flew Thomas’ kite. The boy looked so happy, and the boy’s father, who was standing next to the boy, looked very happy too.

“Dad, I think Jesus helped the kite fly to someone who really wanted a kite as a Christmas present.”

“I think you’re right,” agreed Father.

“That was very kind of you to pray that prayer,” said Mother.

“Merry Christmas,” said Thomas to the little boy and his father, as Thomas and his family passed them on the way to the Nativity scene.

“Merry Christmas to you, too!” said the little boy and his father to Thomas.

Thomas smiled. It really was the best Christmas yet.

Make a Christmas card for a friend or family member. Be sure to send lots of love with your card.

Say a Christmas prayer for someone whose day you want to brighten.

Praise Jesus for two things you are grateful for.

Think of a country, and say a prayer for children who live there to have a love-filled season.

Pick one thing you can do today to show someone love and kindness.

Think of something you appreciate about a friend or family member, and then be sure to tell him or her.

Say a prayer asking Jesus to comfort those near and far who are sad or in need.

Sing a Christmas carol to Jesus in honor of His birthday.

You will need:

• Colored pencils, crayons, or markers
• Scissors
• Clear plastic
• 1 large brad
• Toothpick or hole punch

Instructions: Color the background page and circle inset. Cover with clear plastic. Cut out wheel and the window on the wheel. Use a toothpick (or hole punch) to make a small hole in the center of the wheel and the circle on the main page where you will insert the brad. Connect circle to background page with brad. Make sure the wheel spins freely. Hang it on the wall, and be sure to give it a spin each day, and then follow the activity.

Have a wonderful season spreading Christmas cheer!