Snow continues to fall on and around us daily, it is so beautiful and magical. Thank you world, thank you God, thank you life ... I am grateful for the beauty of this day.
The Santa is this photo is, as you can see, a Teddy Bear Santa. He joined my family of Santas about twenty-three years ago. I found him the gift shop at the Los Angeles Zoo while visiting there one day close to Christmas with my children and a good friend. My friend bought the Santa Teddy Bear for me after he saw me pick him up and smile before setting him back with the other Santa Teddy Bears.
One year this Santa sat a little too close to a burning taper candle that was particularly drippy. The candle dripped all over the Santa Teddy Bear, matting his fur and jacket. One of my brothers is a Teddy Bear man from way back, meaning he loves Teddy Bears very, very much. When he saw that my little Santa Teddy Bear had suffered wax damage, he offered to take him off to the Teddy Bear repair shop for a spruce up. So, off little Teddy Santa went, and when he came back a few weeks later he looked good as new.
It is hard to believe these events happened more than twenty years ago. I am no longer in touch with my friend who gave me the bear, and I have not heard from my brother since my oldest brother passed away back in 2005. These two grown men saw something special in this little bear and wanted me to have him, both acted out of love and a sense of the Christmas spirit. Though the twists and turns of life have taken these two men from my life, at least the little bear remains and in him resides the love that was in their hearts back at that time and in those days. He is a simple, sweet little symbol of the love and the spirit of Christmas past.
I wish them, wherever they are at this moment in time three simple things:
joy love goodwill
~ firefly
Snow continues to fall on and around us daily, it is so beautiful and magical. Thank you world, thank you God, thank you life ... I am grateful for the beauty of this day.
The Santa is this photo is, as you can see, a Teddy Bear Santa. He joined my family of Santas about twenty-three years ago. I found him the gift shop at the Los Angeles Zoo while visiting there one day close to Christmas with my children and a good friend. My friend bought the Santa Teddy Bear for me after he saw me pick him up and smile before setting him back with the other Santa Teddy Bears.
One year this Santa sat a little too close to a burning taper candle that was particularly drippy. The candle dripped all over the Santa Teddy Bear, matting his fur and jacket. One of my brothers is a Teddy Bear man from way back, meaning he loves Teddy Bears very, very much. When he saw that my little Santa Teddy Bear had suffered wax damage, he offered to take him off to the Teddy Bear repair shop for a spruce up. So, off little Teddy Santa went, and when he came back a few weeks later he looked good as new.
It is hard to believe these events happened more than twenty years ago. I am no longer in touch with my friend who gave me the bear, and I have not heard from my brother since my oldest brother passed away back in 2005. These two grown men saw something special in this little bear and wanted me to have him, both acted out of love and a sense of the Christmas spirit. Though the twists and turns of life have taken these two men from my life, at least the little bear remains and in him resides the love that was in their hearts back at that time and in those days. He is a simple, sweet little symbol of the love and the spirit of Christmas past.
I wish them, wherever they are at this moment in time three simple things:
joy love goodwill
~ firefly