Whatever your wishes to Santa may be, I hope that they do come true for you. I would just like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

May you and your family experience peace, joy and harmony. May we also extend that peace, joy and harmony to people around us. With the thought of peace, loving kindness, compassion and understanding towards each other, we will be able to make our common dream comes true – that one day we are living in peace and harmony.

Differences divide while similarities bond us together. There was a saying which I chanced upon previously but I couldn’t recall the author of it now; it goes, “One day people will realise that there is only one race in this world – the human race.” Let us starts peace from within us.

Thank you Cathy for sharing the lyrics of Imagine by John Lennon with me in the previous post.

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

I am not really keen on a Nintendo’s Wii Console as I don’t play much of games, whether it’s computer game or TV game. I am also happy with my Sony Ericsson phone and given the choice, I may prefer the Sony Ericsson latest Xperia X1 over the Apple 3G iPhone. A paid holiday sounds more attractive to me right now but no I’m not getting any paid holiday.

I was thinking recently, “Why is Christmas so special to me?” It seemed that every time I asked myself that question, almost every time the same memories flashed in my mind. I grew up listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Christmas songs; one of the first few cassette tapes which I bought in my childhood day. And basically every night I would play Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Christmas songs and follow the story lines inside until I dozed off to my dreamland.

Of all their Christmas songs, my favorites are ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘White Christmas.’ You may be laughing, falling off your chair and asking, “What is so special about Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Christmas songs?” Frankly speaking I don’t have the answers for you too; I just find that I could relate to their singing. Is that the reason why Christmas is so special to me? This plays a big part of the memories but not all. Do you grow up listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks too?

When I was young, the employer at my mother’s working place had Christmas party almost every year and it was always such fun for my brother and I. The funny thing is I couldn’t recall the details of those parties; whether there were food or games. However, I can remember vividly that we had always received presents and I would immediately look forward to the Christmas party for next year straight after the one for that year ended.

There weren’t many, I was fortunate to go through 2-3 times, before my mother’s employer decided not to have anymore Christmas parties for their employees’ children. Those 2-3 times have a magical effect on me and it plays another big part of the fond Christmas memories.

During Christmas, my family would always gather at one of my mother’s sisters’ home for a Christmas dinner. In fact all her sisters will be at the Christmas dinner too. Children do have simple needs; food, companies and of course presents. My brother, sister and I would always have a great time at the dinner. This is the final important part of my fond Christmas memories.

If you ask me for the meaning of Christmas, I wouldn’t be able to give you a satisfactory answer. I would prefer to direct you to Wikipedia. To me, Christmas is a season of love, joy, sharing and giving. All those love and joy that I experienced when I was young and the simple gifts that I received are priceless and I will always be grateful for all those blessings. How about you? What were your fond Christmas memories?

All these lead me to think, “If every person in the World can have a good meal and a warm place to sleep for the night, at least on Christmas Day, wouldn’t that be great?” And for every child in the World to receive a present on Christmas Day; that would really bring them much joy.

What made me share this whole chunk of fond Christmas memories? I was tagged recently by Rashieka with the Spread the Christmas Spirit Tag and as I have never done tagging at this blog, I hesitated for a long time.

However, I can relate to this ‘Spread the Christmas Spirit Tag.’ The most meaningful part of it is to request the person being tagged to make a priceless and self-less wish, “something that money can’t buy” something that another person will treasure dearly. I am a greedy person. I have more than one wish.

I wish that every person in the World will have a good meal and a place to sleep for this Christmas. I also wish that every child in the World will have a present for this Christmas.

Do you care to share with me a priceless and self-less wish? I would not particularly tag anyone in this but I would sincerely request anyone interested to join me in this tag and send Positive Wishes or Positive Thought to others. What is your Positive Wish or Thought? Do feel free to leave your Positive Wishes or Positive Thought in the comment area.

Let Us Spread Love Wherever We Go and Symphony of Love wish everyone a Wonderful, Joyful and Loving Christmas.

I would like to leave you with White Christmas by Connie Talbot. Do you still remember her? The song from Britain’s Got Talent who sung Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

——————————————————-
I am honored to be awarded an award from MsRay at Woman On A JouRney. Thank you MsRay for the award.

Thank you Janet from Dolly’s Daily Dairy for giving me the Lemonade Award.

By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, Associated Press Writer
Sat Nov 18, 6:10 AM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For 26 years, a man known only as Secret Santa has roamed the streets every December quietly giving people money. He started with $5 and $10 bills. As his fortune grew, so did the gifts. In recent years, Secret Santa has been handing out $100 bills, sometimes two or three at a time, to people in thrift stores, diners and parking lots. So far, he’s anonymously given out about $1.3 million. It’s been a long-held holiday mystery: Who is Secret Santa?

But now, weak from chemotherapy and armed with a desire to pass on his belief in random kindness, Secret Santa has decided it’s time to reveal his identity.

He is Larry Stewart, a 58-year-old businessman from the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit, Mo., who made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.

His holiday giving started in December 1979 when he was nursing his wounds at a drive-in restaurant after getting fired. It was the second year in a row he had been fired the week before Christmas.

“It was cold and this car hop didn’t have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, `I think I got it bad. She’s out there in this cold making nickels and dimes,’” he said.

He gave her $20 and told her to keep the change.

“And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She said, `Sir, you have no idea what this means to me.’”

Stewart went to the bank that day and took out $200, then drove around looking for people who could use a lift. That was his “Christmas present to himself.” He’s hit the streets each December since.

While Stewart has also given money to other community causes in Kansas City and his hometown of Bruce, Miss., he offers the simple gifts of cash because it’s something people don’t have to “beg for, get in line for, or apply for.”

That was a feeling he came to know in the early ’70s when he was living out of his yellow Datsun 510. Hungry and tired, Stewart mustered the nerve to approach a woman at a church and ask for help.

The woman told him the person who could help was gone for the day, and Stewart would have to come back the next day.

“As I turned around, I knew I would never do that again,” Stewart said.

Over the years, Stewart’s giving as Secret Santa grew. He started a Web site. He allowed the news media to tag along, mostly because he wanted to hear about the people who received the money. Reporters had to agree to guard his identity and not name his company, which he still does not want revealed.

His entourage grew over the years, and he began traveling with special elves. People like the late Negro Leagues icon Buck O’Neil, who handed out hugs while Stewart doled out $100s. NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus will join Stewart this year in Chicago when Stewart hands out $100s in honor of O’Neil, the first African-American coach in the Major Leagues.

They’ll give out $100,000 between Chicago and Kansas City. Four Secret Santas who Stewart “trained” will hand out an additional $65,000.

Doctors told Stewart in April that he had cancer of the esophagus and it had spread to his liver. He has been lucky, he says, to get into a clinical trial at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But the aggressive chemotherapy has stripped away his appetite and energy. He’s lost about 100 pounds, but has held onto his white hair.

The treatment costs more than $16,000 a month, not including the cost of traveling to Houston every two weeks and staying there for five or six days. He now has two months off, but returns to treatment in February.

His insurance company won’t cover the cost of the treatment, which has left him concerned about his finances and his family.

Now, his mission is bigger than handing out $100 bills. Stewart wants to speak to community groups about his devotion to kindness and to inspire others to donate their time and money.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Stewart says, “to help other people out.”

___

On the Net: