Analog-Theater 2.0

Why do children like Christmas? Because Santa Claus brings them presents.

Many people think that the origin of the giving of gifts goes back to the Wise Men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus. However, the tradition dates back even further, to the Roman holiday of Saturnalia.

Marcus Valerius Martialis, a Latin poet who lived between circa 38 AD and circa 102 AD, wrote a series of poems about Saturnalia gifts in his book 14. Some of the gifts he mentioned were writing tablets, dice, a stylus box, combs, a golden hair pin, a sword, etc.

Unfortunately I don’t have much to say about the tradition of gift giving, so to take up the space I will include a story I found about gift giving.

A Brother Like That

A friend of mine named Paul received a new car from his brother as a pre-Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.

“Is this your car, Mister?” he asked.

Paul nodded, “My brother gave it to me for Christmas.”

The boy looked astounded. “You mean your brother gave it to you, and it didn’t cost you anything? Gosh I wish…”

He hesitated, and Paul knew what he was going to wish. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.

“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.”

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively added, “Would you like a ride in my new car?”

“Oh, yes, I’d love that!”,

After a short ride the urchin turned, and with his eyes aglow said, “Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.

“Will you stop right where those steps are?” the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little polio-crippled brother. He sat down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up right against him and pointed to the car.

“There she is, Buddy, just like l told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas, and it didn’t cost him a cent, and someday I’m gonna give you one just like it, then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.

Paul got out and lifted the little lad into the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when He said, “It is more blessed to give.”

Author Unknown