This first appeared in The Message Tree Christmas 2001 Issue
Author unknown

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “this is for you, Daddy.” more…

This first appeared in The Message Tree Christmas 2001 Issue

by Betty Werth.

On Christmas Eve, a young boy with light in his eyes looked deep into Santa’s, to Santa’s surpnse, And said as he nestled 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 from 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?” more…

by Ed Crabtree
©2001

Your halls are decked with boughs of Holly, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, chestnuts are ready to roast on a open fire, and everyone in your house is in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon will be there. Perhaps you have even strategically placed a sprig of mistletoe, somewhere in your home, under which the kids can say they saw Momma kissing Santa Claus. But wait, other than the tradition of smooching under the mistletoe, do you know the rest of the story of the plant? Did you know that the tradition was part of a pagan ritual that actually predates the birth of Christ? Did you know that Phoradendron flavescens (American Mistletoe) is a parasitic plant that can kill the host tree that it grows on? Did you know the berries and leaves could be poisonous to small children? more…