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December 26, 2008

Christmas dinner offers hope, company for hundreds

By M. Scott Carter

The young man wore blue jeans.

His kids -- one was about 8, the other a little older; say, 10 -- were neat and well dressed. His wife quiet. They dined, the kids got their toys then, as the family started to leave, the man turned to Bob Magarian and quietly said "thanks."

"I was just laid off," the man said "And if it hadn't been for this, well, we wouldn't have had a Christmas."

Bob Magarian met that man 22 years ago, at the first Norman Community Christmas Dinner and he's never forgotten him.

"That first dinner was pretty hectic," Magarian said Thursday. "We had it at St. Michael's Episcopal Church. The fuses blew, the bus caught fire, yeah, there were lots of problems. And after it was all over people asked me if we were going to do it again."

Magarian didn't hesitate.

"I said, 'yeah,'" he said. "I said we were going to do it every year because of people like that man and his family."

For 22 years, Magarian has been true to his word.

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He was, for all practical purposes, the best dressed volunteer there. Dressed in a dark suit, red tie, dress shoes and even a scarf, "Elder" Stoddard (he wouldn't say his first name) quietly moved his trash can through the crowd helping to clear tables for the next group.

A missionary with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Stoddard, from Utah, has been in Oklahoma about seven months.

"I just wanted to help," he said. "So I volunteered. It's been really nice."

While he seemed shy, his smile spoke volumes.

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Looking more like a court jester or a character from a tale by Dr. Suess, Tina Mahle adjusted her bright red three-pronged holiday hat and grinned.

"It's sort of a tradition," she confessed.

A four-year volunteer with the Christmas dinner, Mahle said she came from a big family and missed the hustle and bustle of Christmas.

"I live alone now," she said. "And so I do this every year."

Mahle said she attended the dinner the first time because she "had nothing better to do."

"That was four years ago. Now I make a habit of it. It's all about being a community and I just like helping others."

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The line to see Santa was much longer than the line for food.

Santa's line snaked down the hall, made a left, and wrapped its way down into the parking lot of Norman High School.

The food line was yards shorter, took just a few minutes and, once you were seated, volunteers would bring drinks and dessert to your table.

Of course, Santa was the big draw for the younger set.

The kids tried to stand still but when it's Christmas Day, and when the jolly ol' elf himself is holding court, well ... being still is not a virtue.

Santa didn't seem to mind.

And every kid who spent time on St. Nick's lap got a treat and, eventually, found his way to the toy line.

Mom and Dad got the kid's picture made with Santa -- whether the kid liked it or not.

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Christmas and music go together like Christmas and, well, turkey. This year, a group of wandering minstrels provided holiday music for the Norman Christmas Day Community Dinner.

The music brought smiles, applause and even a few stray singers. One elderly woman sang, stopped, then sang again, trying to avoid detection by those around her.

"It's all about trying to make people happy," Magarian said. "There are a lot of lonely people here and this, this being with other people on Christmas, that's the whole spirit behind our dinner."

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The old man ate alone.

There, at the table with the foam Christmas tree, he sipped his coffee and quietly finished his turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes.

At first the image seemed sad, almost forlorn. But as the man ate, the volunteer from the drink cart paused, offered him another cup of coffee and then stayed to chat.

Their conversation lasted only a few minutes, but that simple act caused a change in the gentleman dinner. A short time later he leaned across his chair and struck up another conversation -- this one with a small boy handing out toys.

The boy responded, offering a gift.

The old man accepted.

A few minutes later, their laughter could be heard over the crowd; while in the kitchen, Bob Magarian and some of his 200 volunteers handed another hungry diner a plate full of food.

M. Scott Carter 366-3545 scarter@normantranscript.com

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