{"id":26491,"date":"2023-12-21T18:02:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T18:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=26491"},"modified":"2023-12-21T18:04:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T18:04:08","slug":"26491","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=26491","title":{"rendered":"At Home with Santa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boomer\u2019s Journal:\"\"<\/a><\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Night After Christmas<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By Tom Anselm<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wonder what Santa is doing today? Let\u2019s sneak up to the North Pole and look in on the old guy.<\/p>\n

There he is, sitting in his high-backed chair, woolen-stockinged feet up on a stack of pillows. Huge logs are sizzling in the hearth. Mrs. C. has just brought him a crock of steaming vegetable soup. (He is<\/em> watching his cholesterol, you know.)<\/p>\n

\u201cHere you are, dear. Your favorite after-work dish. My, you look a bit more weary than usual this year,\u201d said the concerned woman.<\/p>\n

The bearded man looked up. \u201cHave I ever told you that your\u2019re the prettiest gal in the Artic?\u201d he grinned, as he spooned up a bit of the broth. Then, he wrinkled his brow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, my dear, things have changed down there, and not for the better. I mean, there is so much wealth, but still so many children hungry and dying from disease. And those people still have not found a way to have \u201cPeace On Earth\u201d, as the angels sang when my good friend was born so many years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed, chewing on a sweet carrot, and gazed into the flames. \u201cI thought by now they\u2019d have figured it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Claus sat down on the cushions, placing her hand softly on her husband\u2019s knee. The only sound was the rattle of the windows from the constant low winds. They rested quietly, both lost in their thoughts. The woman spoke first.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year,\u201d she began, slowly, \u201cyou come home with a lovely story that warms my heart. Was there something that happened this year, something to share?\u201d<\/p>\n

Santa set his empty bowl down, and smoothed his beard. He leaned forward and took her small hand in his much larger one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was<\/em> this one child,\u201d he whispered. \u201cShe was asleep on a white comforter by her tree. It was a small tree, in a tiny walk-up apartment in\u2026 in…you know, I don\u2019t recall just where, exactly. I suppose she had snuck from her bed to wait for me. I was oh, so quiet, but just as I placed a baby doll under the tree, it said \u201cMama\u201d, and she awoke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Sanna. Is that for me?\u201d she said, eying that dolly. \u201cWhy, yes, sweetie,\u201d I said. \u201cThis is yours for being such a good girl for your mommy.\u201d She smiled, then a tear came to her eyes. She suddenly seemed very sad.<\/p>\n

\u201cSanna Cwas? I \u2026I don\u2019t have nuttin for<\/em> my mommy\u201d she said. So I reached down into my bag\u2026.you know I always keep a few surprises for just such emergencies\u2026and we picked out a small crystal snowflake ornament. Her eyes glistened, and not from tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wuv you, Sanna,\u201d she said as she reached up, softly kissed my cheek, and fell back asleep, her mother\u2019s gift by her side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Claus smiled at the story. She picked up the plates, and patted her husband\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, Santa,\u2026 that little girl is just one of millions of children who carry the hope of the future in their hearts. And these are the ones who will one day bring healing to that crazy old world down there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Santa rose from his chair, his weariness lifted. He walked to the kitchen and gathered his wife in his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right, of course. As usual. In the love of children dwells the hope. Merry Christmas, Mrs. Claus.\u201d \u201cAnd the same to you, Mr. Claus,\u201d said his wife. \u201cNow, let me go and help me dry these dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so it was.<\/p>\n

I hope you had a chance to experience the joy of Christmas through the loving heart of a child.<\/p>\n

A Happy and Blessed New Year to all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Boomer\u2019s Journal: The Night After Christmas \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By Tom Anselm I wonder what Santa is doing today? Let\u2019s sneak up to the North Pole and look in on the old guy. There he is, sitting in his high-backed chair, woolen-stockinged feet up on a stack of pillows. Huge logs are sizzling in the hearth. Mrs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-columnists","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nAt Home with Santa - flovalleynews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=26491\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At Home with Santa - flovalleynews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boomer\u2019s Journal: The Night After Christmas \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By Tom Anselm I wonder what Santa is doing today? 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