Driving on Arapaho Road through Richardson on a recent morning, a low-flying helicopter buzzed by and I wondered: Is it going to pick up the Christmas toys at the school?
You see, when I was a kid at Canyon Creek Elementary not far from there, there was a big annual holiday push by Marine Corps Toys for Tots. School kids would bring new toys to school, and on the big day in December, all the classes would go outside and stand around the perimeter of the playground. Smartly dressed U.S. Marines would be out there too, with big bags of the toys we donated. Then the air would fill with the distinctive clatter of a helicopter rotor, and sure enough, a helicopter would descend and land right there in the middle of the playground. Santa would jump out of the chopper to the cheers of the kids, the Marines would load the toys into the back, Santa would wave to us, climb back aboard and leave as he came, presumably flying back to the North Pole.
A fun memory, for sure, but the answer to my earlier question is: No, the helicopter I saw was not flying to the school to pick up toys. There would be no justification for the expense of such a show today, and no toleration for the potential risks of landing a helicopter in the middle of a playground surrounded by children. Life has changed since the late 1960s when there seemed to be less worry and fuss about such things.
What hasn’t changed are the needs of people around us — the basic needs of everyday life for sure, but also the need for children to experience magic, wonder, joy and love at Christmas.
I applaud efforts like national Toys for Tots and WFAA’s local Santa’s Helpers that collect gifts so children can enjoy Christmas. We have a targeted gift drive at Wilshire each year for specific children who otherwise might not feel the magic and joy of unwrapping a Christmas gift. I suspect there’s something in these childhood experiences that is sticky in the memory and can lead to a kid like me growing up, remembering Santa in a helicopter and wanting to spread that love and kindness.
And then the work parents and teachers do to add the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ to our understanding paves the way to share the most important gifts of all. Msgr. Don Fischer of Dallas’ Pastoral Reflections Institute said this in his annual Christmas message: “As we become more like Him and His presence fills us, we find ourselves in the most wondrous place, allowing Him to resonate through us so that others may know who He truly is.”
For that reason I’d like to offer a big “well done” to the parents who brought their children to One Starry Night on Friday at Wilshire to get a taste of the real meaning of Christmas: the hope, peace, joy and love that a life with Christ is meant to be. And a grateful “thank you” to the nearly 160 volunteers who made it all happen.
Still, we tend to pull out all the stops during the holidays, but what about the rest of the year? There’s often a bit of angst in my extended family about who we will see during the holidays, but I gave up my expectations about that years ago because the family is too big and far-flung. It’s better to look at the entire year as an opportunity to arrange meaningful get-togethers.
It’s the same with our giving. Rather than piling it all up in December, we should try doing it around the calendar. The needs are year-round, and so too should be our gifts of love and attention.