At this joyous time of the year, when all children and most adults think of Santa, they think of the many wishes he may grant for them on Christmas Eve. However, seldom does anyone consider the possibility that Santa may have a wish of his own. The following poem addresses that very issue in a way which you might want to share with your children at the appropriate time.

I had the privilege of chatting with the author of this poem, Betty Werth, and learned that she wrote it 21 years ago for her 4-year-old son. At that time she was a reporter for her local newspaper, the Alpena News, in Northern Michigan … one of Santa’s favorite locations because it reminds him so much of home!

After appearing for several years in her own newspaper, the poem was also published by Family Circle magazine and Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury, spreading even more joy and spirit to many grateful families. Thank you Betty for sharing your precious gem with our readers!

Santa’s Secret Wish
by Betty Werth

On Christmas Eve, a young boy with light in his eyes
Looked deep into Santa’s, to Santa’s surprise
And said as he sat on Santa’s broad knee,
“I want your secret. Tell it to me.”

He leaned up and whispered in Santa’s good ear
“How do you do it, year after year?”
“I want to know how, as you travel about,
Giving gifts here and there, you never run out.

How is it, Dear Santa, that in your pack of toys
You have plenty for all of the world’s girls and boys?
Stays so full, never empties, as you make your way
around the whole world, The reindeer pulling your sleigh

From rooftop to rooftop, to homes large and small,
From nation to nation, reaching them all?”
And Santa smiled kindly and said to the boy,
“Don’t ask me hard questions. Don’t you want a toy?”

But the child shook his head, and Santa could see
That he needed the answer. “Now listen to me,”
He told that small boy with the light in his eyes,
“My secret will make you sadder and wise.

“The truth is that my sack is magic. Inside
It holds millions of toys for my Christmas Eve ride.
But although I do visit each girl and each boy
I don’t always leave them a gaily wrapped toy.

Some homes are hungry, some homes are sad,
Some homes are desperate, some homes are bad.
Some homes are broken, and the children there grieve.
Those homes I visit, but what should I leave?

“My sleigh is filled with the happiest stuff,
But for homes where despair lives toys aren’t enough.
So I tiptoe in, kiss each girl and boy,
And I pray with them that they’ll be given the joy

Of the spirit of Christmas, the spirit that lives
In the heart of the dear child who gets not, but gives.
“If only God hears me and answers my prayer,
When I visit next year, what I will find there

Are homes filled with peace, and with giving, and love
And boys and girls gifted with light from above.
It’s a very hard task, my smart little brother,
To give toys to some, and to give prayers to others.

But the prayers are the best gifts, the best gifts indeed,
For God has a way of meeting each need.
“That’s part of the answer. The rest, my dear youth,
Is that my sack is magic. And that is the truth.

In my sack I carry on Christmas Eve day
More love than a Santa could ever give away.
The sack never empties of love, or of joys
‘Cause inside it are prayers, and hope. Not just toys.

The more that I give, the fuller it seems,
Because giving is my way of fulfilling dreams.”
And do you know something? You’ve got a sack, too.
It’s as magic as mine and it’s inside of you.

It never gets empty, it’s full from the start.
It’s the center of lights, and love. It’s your heart.
And if on this Christmas you want to help me,
Don’t be so concerned with the gifts ‘neath your tree.

Open that sack called your heart, and share
Your joy, your friendship, your wealth, your care.”
The light in the small boy’s eyes was glowing.
“Thanks for your secret. I’ve got to be going.”

“Wait, little boy,” Said Santa, “don’t go.
Will you share? Will you help? Will you use what you know?”
And just for a moment the small boy stood still,
Touched his heart with his small hand and whispered, “I will.”

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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(Note: You want to raise your children to think like this! If we had more of this kind of spirit in Washington, D.C. today, this country would be in much better shape than it is now!)

Our thanks and gratitude goes out to Sharon Palmer for sharing this beautiful story which certainly personifies the true spirit of Christmas!

I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in a toy store and decided to look at Barbie dolls for my nieces. A nicely dressed little girl was excitedly looking through the Barbie dolls as well, with a roll of money clamped tightly in her little hand.

When she came upon a Barbie she liked, she would turn and ask her father if she had enough money to buy it. He usually said “yes,” but she would keep looking and keep going through their ritual of “Do I have enough?”

As she was looking, a little boy wandered in across the aisle and started sorting through the Pokemon toys.

He was dressed neatly, but in clothes that were obviously rather worn, and wearing a jacket that was probably a couple of sizes too small. He, too, had money in his hand, but it looked to be no more than five dollars or so, at the most. He was with his father as well, and kept picking up the Pokemon video games. Each time he picked one up and looked at his father, his father shook his head, “no.”

The little girl had apparently chosen her Barbie, a beautifully dressed, glamorous doll that would have been the envy of every little girl on the block.

However, she had stopped and was watching the interchange between the little boy and his father. Rather dejectedly, the boy had given up on the video games and had chosen what looked like a book of stickers instead. He and his father then started walking through another aisle of the store.

The little girl put her Barbie back on the shelf, and ran over to the Pokemon games. She excitedly picked up one that was lying on top of the other toys, and raced toward the check-out, after speaking with her father.

I picked up my purchases and got in line behind them. Then, much to the little girl’s obvious delight, the little boy and his father got in line behind me.

After the toy was paid for and bagged, the little girl handed it back to the cashier and whispered something in her ear. The cashier smiled and put the package under the counter.

I paid for my purchases and was rearranging things in my cart when the little boy came up to the cashier. The cashier rang up his purchases and then said, “Congratulations, you are my hundredth customer today, and you win a prize!” With that, she handed the little boy the Pokemon game, and he could only stare in disbelief.

It was, he said, exactly what he had wanted!

The little girl and her father had been standing at the doorway during all of this, and I saw the biggest, prettiest grin on that little girl that I have ever seen in my life. Then they walked out the door, and I followed, close behind them.

As I walked back to my car, in amazement over what I had just witnessed, I heard the father ask his daughter why she had done that. I’ll never forget what she said to him.

“Daddy, didn’t Nana and Paw Paw want me to buy something that would make me happy?”

He said, “Of course they did, Honey.”

To which the little girl replied, “Well, I just did.”

With that, she giggled and started skipping toward their car. Apparently, she had decided on the answer to her own question of, “Do I have enough?”

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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I admit it. I’m getting older. I can see all the signs.

This time of the year, I’m addicted to the many classic Christmas movies which fill our TV screens almost 24/7 during the month of December. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia, hope for the future, seasonal loneliness, or a simple longing for a “happy ending.”

I tear up much too fast and far too often. I readily demonstrate the three most telling symptoms of a “softie”:

1. Tear in the eye
2. Lump in the throat
3. Warmth in the heart

… and all three usually occur midway through these Christmas classics. I love these trips down Memory Lane even though I’ve seen most of these classics more times than I can remember. While they never get old to me, I also have to admit that I have little interest in the animated specials or “cartoons” as we used to call them unless I’m watching them with my grandchildren.

However, this year I had advanced notice of an animated special featuring one of my all-time favorite Christmas stories … which, by the way, is based on a true story. The night it aired, I had plans I couldn’t get out of so I taped it to watch later when I got home.

As a result, I ended up watching the entire movie in the early hours of the morning. It was perfect. Full moon shining across the lake and through my floor to ceiling windows, snow falling gently, roaring fire in the fireplace, giant bowl of buttered popcorn, and enough ice cold Coke to float a boat! What more could anyone ask? I got comfortable, adapted the necessary mind set, snuggled up in a warm blanket and settled in for what turned out to be a fabulous rendition of “Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus!”

Now don’t jump to conclusions. Although animated, it was a very powerful story that rendered a tremendously relevant message for adults as well as children. Although the network special only lasted 30 minutes, I managed to experience all three of the “softie symptoms” within the first five minutes.

This version had everything … the cutest and most lovable “Virginia” I’ve ever seen, an innocent younger brother who worshiped his big sister, the mean older school mate who spilled the beans even though she wanted to believe, concerned parents who weren’t sure how to handle this critical situation, an alcoholic street Santa who was wiser than first appraised, and a grumpy newspaper editor who had a change of heart that brought joy to the hearts of millions of children for decades to come. This is a classic that should be viewed by children from 9 to 90. It redefines hope, faith and the true Christmas Spirit at time when everyone in the country could benefit from a “spiritual boost.”

I mentioned earlier that this classic was based on a true story. Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun newspaper because a few of her friends told her Santa was not real. Her father told her that “If you see it in the Sun, it’s so!” The novel response was printed as an unsigned editorial September, 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Frank Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

The story of Virginia’s inquiry and the Sun‘s response was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning animated television special in 1974 featuring the voices of Jim Backus and Jimmy Osmond, and in 1991 it was adapted into a made-for-TV movie with Richard Thomas and Charles Bronson. In New York City, local television journalist Gabe Pressman has recounted the story every Christmas for the past 30 years.

Here’s the story as it was written on that fateful day 112 years ago. You’ll find it as heart-warming and relevant as it was the day it was written.

DEAR EDITOR:

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”

VIRGINIA O’HANLON

The Editor answered:

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exists, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there was no Santa Claus? It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus? You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children or men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, and romance can push aside that curtain and view the picture and the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else more real and abiding.

No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now,Virginia, nay ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you’ve experienced at least one of the three “softie symptoms” or maybe even scored a “hat trick” (3 scores) as I did. Later tonight, I’m playing the role of Santa for 150 young needy children who still have faith in the “Santa” we all grew up with. It’s an awesome responsibility but a treasured privilege I won’t soon forget!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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How many times have you joined others to sing a Christmas carol in church or caroling through the neighborhood and really never thought about the actual words of the song or the fact that it may have a unique origin? Too many to count I’m sure.

Most Christmas carols are sung from memory dating back to our childhood. While there are dozens of favorites which re-emerge each holiday season, there is one, in particular, that is more than relevant in today’s chaotic world.

The lyrics certainly ring true even though they were written 146 years ago. Few people realize that “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” was actually a poem, consisting of seven stanzas, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day in 1863. The Civil War was at its height, and the poet was in deep despair at the time. Two stanzas were later omitted as they contained references to the Civil War.

Hearing the Christmas bells chiming, he realized that God was great enough to overcome the world’s strife. When you hear the words today, you can’t help but wonder if they were written with our current-day mayhem in mind. Over the years this beautiful carol has been recorded by such notable voices as Elvis Presley, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, Ed Ames, Kate Smith, Frank Sinatra, Sarah McLachlan, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, the Carpenters, Bing Crosby, and Bette Midler.

Read the words and marvel at their truth and wisdom as they apply to the world of today. Better yet, try to listen to an actual recording of this classic to enjoy the haunting melody as the words reveal a harsh reality which may very well live forever. This memorable carol combines lyrics and music powerful enough to bring a tear to any eye, a lump to any throat, and warmth to any heart.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The world shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Till, ringing, singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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I recently had a very rare and unique opportunity which left me with mixed feelings … regret and warmth.

REGRET that I didn’t get involved with this organization and its work long ago and …

WARMTH from the experience itself, those I worked with and those who benefited from our efforts.

I was invited to visit a Habitat for Humanity site and ended up working a with phenomenal group of people who united to offer their experience, talent and high level of energy to provide a HOME for one of the many families struggling in these times of dire straights.

I’ve known about Habitat for Humanity since 1984 when President Jimmy Carter got involved with this tremendous effort. However, it first started back in 1976. Since that time, they have built 350,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1.75 million people in 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

I’ll provide a few more facts about this tremendous organization and tell you how you can get involved later in this article, but I’d like to tell you a little bit about what I witnessed during my experience.

First of all, it was COLD. After all, we are in the north, and it is winter. That meant nothing to this group of people I had the privilege to meet and work with. It was almost an added incentive to everyone as they worked to finish this house for a very special family in hopes of getting them into their new home by Christmas. Right now it looks as though they’re going to reach their goal with time to spare.

Secondly was the spirit which permeated that house and property. It was almost indescribable. Everyone involved appeared to be enjoying their work, happy to be there, chatting with others about their progress … you’d almost think they were on a payroll rather than volunteering their time and effort. It was indeed a joy to behold. This is the kind of spirit and determination that built this great country of ours. I witnessed teamwork, communication, progress, pride, and accomplishment by everyone involved. It didn’t appear to be work … no one seemed cold … everyone worked as though they were building their own home. I saw volunteers, both male and female, of all ages, creeds, and colors. The time flew by. Again, I was astonished. And to think that this is going on in every one of our 50 states as well as at least 90 other countries … and far too few people are aware of this tremendous opportunity.

If you’re interested in finding a project near your location or obtaining additional information simply visit Habitat for Humanity at http://www.habitat.org/ and use its search engine to find local affiliates. You’ll be glad you did.

Additional Data:

• Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor (sweat equity) into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.
• Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses alongside our homeowner (partner) families.
• To accomplish these goals, they invite people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.
• Volunteers work with future homeowners to build or renovate houses, which are then sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable loans, with no interest charged on the mortgage.
• The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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Every year television networks flood the airways with holiday movies. We can count on unlimited access to the majority of our Christmas favorites and we do so for good reason. Seeing these classics make us feel good—at a time when the entire country can use a “spirit boost”! I hesitate to guess how many times some of these wonderful “jewels” have been shown … A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life and so many others which never seem to grow old.

The same holds true for certain stories which make us feel good about the season, our loved ones, and ourselves. A good story never grows old, and that’s why we’re repeating this one again this year. It’s a story about a little boy who is obviously wise beyond his years. He receives a tremendous gift by giving joy and happiness to his best friend. This is a short Christmas story that should be shared with your children and/or grandchildren during this joyous season. You’ll all feel better after doing so.

Read the story together and then discuss the true Spirit of Christmas.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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