The Norman Transcript

Features

Discussion

December 26, 2012

A sense of Christmas

By Lisbeth L. McCarty The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — At Sunday school, my 5-year-old daughter, Jamie, was given some hay to put out on Christmas Eve for Santa’s reindeer. As a new, single Mom, I planned for Jamie and I to go from Norman to my Mom’s house in Oklahoma City for Christmas Eve, then spend the night there.

I loaded all the gifts into the car and told Jamie we would spend the night in Oklahoma City.

Jamie said, “But we have to put out the hay for Santa’s reindeer. I want to be home on Christmas morning.”

I decided to drive back to Norman that night. When we reached home, Jamie had fallen asleep. She awakened as I unbuckled from the car seat and said, “We have to put out the reindeer hay.”

“I’ll put out the hay,” I said, then carried her to bed.

Having given my word to my daughter, I went outside and tossed the hay all over the lawn. As I returned to the house, I remembered that I had taken all of Jamie’s gifts to Mom’s house. I had no gift for Jamie on Christmas Day.

I decided to clear out a storage room and let that be my daughter’s new toy room as a Christmas gift. I stayed up until 2 a.m., moving items into temporary storage in the garage.

Once cleared, the room looked large and bare. I took one of Jamie’s toys, a teddy bear, and sat it down on the floor of the room.

Exhausted, I fell into bed. It seemed like only a few minutes later that Jamie was shaking me awake, saying, “It’s Christmas morning.”

I dragged myself out of bed and told Jamie that Santa had left something to show her, but it wasn’t under the Christmas tree. Her eyes grew big, and I was suddenly heartsick about what she was about to be shown. What seemed passable during the pre-dawn hours of Christmas — an empty room and a toy Jamie already owned — now seemed pathetic.

I led Jamie to the old storage room and flipped on the light. “Santa gave you a toy room,” I said.

Jamie surveyed the room with nothing in it but a teddy bear on the floor, then smiled. Jamie began to run around in circles with delight. “I love it,” she said.

Eventually, the room would fill with toys, which later gave way in Jamie’s early teen years to a music room full of guitars, drums and amplifiers. Finally, the room became a combination sewing room and art studio.

Even though 20 years have now passed, I always feel a sense of Christmas when I enter that room.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Features
  • Students can continue to learn during summer school

    Q: I really don’t want my son sitting home all day during the summer months. Is summer school an option? — Yvette, Oklahoma City Dear Yvette, While summer school is typically for those students who fail a class and need to make up a ...

    May 17, 2013

  • 17-year-old should be given responsibility to ‘own’ problems

    Q: I went into my 17-year-old’s bedroom to wake him this morning. After some urging, he eventually got up and then told me he hated me. What is the appropriate consequence for this sort of disrespect? A: Actually, I don’t consider that a ...

    May 17, 2013

  • Library to host author

    The Norman Public Library will host local author Sandra McMahan for a discussion on her first book, “Eternity,” at 6 p.m. Monday in Rooms A and B, 225 N. Webster Ave. McMahan will talk about the book and the process of getting an ...

    May 17, 2013

  • The reality of Mother’s Day

    The path to the celebration of Mother’s Day is fraught with countless thorns, discomforts and lots of joy. There is the pregnancy and the birth, neither of which is a pleasant experience in itself. If it were easy and pleasant, why aren’t ...

    May 17, 2013

  • Comfort before death for ailing pets

    Dear Dr. Fox: Thank you so much for your answer to the reader who asked how animals feel about being euthanized. I read it the day before my 17-year-old cat Oliver died, and your vision of animals in an afterlife helped me through the next ...

    May 16, 2013

  • Surviving spouses encouraged to seek assistance with Veterans Corner

    All of you who have stopped by Veterans Corner on a Thursday morning will recognize the volunteer of the week. Ray Stelting, of Tuttle, has been with us for three years. His primary job has been keeping the coffee prepared for the ...

    May 15, 2013

  • Food labels help consumers

    Whether you notice it, a nutrition facts label is stamped on everything from your package of frozen chicken breasts to that jug of reduced fat milk....

    May 15, 2013

  • How married couples can boost their Social Security checks

    Dear Savvy Senior, I’ve heard that there are strategies available that can help married couples increase their Social Security benefits when they retire. My wife and I are approaching retirement age and would like to understand these ...

    May 14, 2013

  • Lex Opry to perform Friday

    The next Lexington Opry Show will be Friday at the Les Chandler Center in Lexington.  The evening will include a tribute to the late George Jones. The group will do a medley of his great songs. The show will begin at 6 p.m....

    May 13, 2013

  • Mother of picky eater seeks advice to help her toddler eat healthier meals

    Q: My toddler is a picky eater. Is there anything I can do to help with her eating habits? A: From ages 1 to 3, the toddler years are a time of slowed growth, thus, a naturally lessened interest in foods. Rather than eat, they sometimes ...

    May 13, 2013