“My niece loves stories and I could write a special story just for her - a story about a very teenie weenie girl, who lives on another planet...”
As far as Christmas gifts and decorations go, some years are 'opulent' (store bought) Christmas' and some years are 'creative' (homemade) Christmas'. This year happens to be a 'creative' Christmas in our home.
I'm not exactly the handicraft person I desire to be — my crafts either turn out poorly made or over the top! My decorative skills also leave much to be desired. Although, as I explained to my husband recently, while winding tiny Christmas lights around the long black cord of a lamp, we have never had a Christmas hanging lamp before, and our Christmas decorations are going to be truly 'unique'. My excitement over such 'unique' ideas always leaves my husband somewhat bug-eyed!
Quite often 'unique' ideas are borne in desperation. Take, for instance, this year's Christmas' gift for my darling niece, whom I told you about last year in the 'Christmas Wish'. She is the little tyke with a rare degenerative disorder, the victims of which have not survived beyond 21 years old. Her affliction has left her small for her age along with a speech impediment and other physical characteristics that say she is different. While she is quite active and started school this year, the transition to interacting with a lot more people and children on a daily basis has drawn out shyness in her, something she certainly wasn't before starting school, and something we believe may have been brought on either by her own realization that she is different than other children or by their reaction to her differences.
I absolutely love to spoil my niece all year round, but most especially at Christmas. But when I realized exactly how 'creative' this Christmas was going to have to be I really began grieving because I felt that whatever 'creative' idea I could come up with would just not be good enough for her. She was, in my mind and heart, just too precious to be subjected to my 'poor' and 'unique' efforts of creativity. As October whittled into November, my heart became heavier and heavier. I kept pounding on the Lord, "What am I going to do? I only have to the end of November and then I have to mail the gift if it is to reach her in time for Christmas (she lives in England)."
I really was expecting the Lord to throw money at my problem so I could buy some little treasure to send to her, but instead, He threw a little of His 'creative' thinking my way.
I was trying to write an email to my brother and thinking about how I was going to explain how I wouldn't be able to send Christmas gifts this year (my brother doesn't have a computer but receives his email through the television and while he can receive and read long emails, he is limited in his ability to reply. First, because he has to use the TV remote control to tap out his answer as opposed to a keyboard and second, because he has the patience of a mosquito. As I was despairing to the Lord about how to write my miserable missive, suddenly a whirling mass of thoughts congealed and a lightning bolt of joy swept through me. I could send my niece an email! She would recognize her name on the TV and my brother could read it to her.
My niece loves stories and I could write a special story just for her - a story about a very teenie weenie girl, who lives on another planet, where everybody and everything is different and unique. I could make the story funny and full of adventure and pepper it liberally with very long and silly sounding words. I could paint her dazzling word pictures, teach her rhyming songs, and weave everything together through the very uniqueness of one teenie weenie girl! Perhaps the story would help her speech and somehow instill confidence in her — the possibilities exploded in my head and heart! Thus was born, The Adventures of Nicki Plum and her dog Polo (the tallest and wisest three-eared dog on the planet, who can sing and do arithmetic in his head!), by Auntie Moo.
Okay, okay, I can you hear you all from here, "Auntie Moo"! One term of endearment (or detriment) in England is to call someone a 'cow'. My dear sister-in-law has been known to call me a 'cow' quite often, but because my niece does try to mimic people, and calling me a cow at her age would be considered disrespectful, my sister-in-law taught her to call me 'Auntie Moo'.
Trust me. In England, it is very comical to hear my niece call for me, especially in a shop, on the street, or on a bus. It puts a smile on everyone's face. And while I did think the application of my pseudonym was getting out of hand a couple of Christmas' ago when my brother and sister-in-law had a pen set engraved for me that read "Moo Beck", when my niece is upset and sobbing for 'Auntie Moo' to pick her up and comfort her or whispering in my ear "I yove you Auntie Moo," believe me there is no other name on Earth by which I would rather be called.
As for the story, there seems to be no end of it in sight! Every Monday morning I email another chapter (I'm up to chapter 8). I did send my brother several emails asking if my niece was enjoying the story and was getting quite annoyed because he wasn't replying. Finally, after I sent chapter 6, he responded. "Sorry for delay — we have been on several interplanetary excursions!"
If this year is a 'creative' Christmas year for you, don't hesitate to ask the Lord for His input. He has a way of inspiring us to create gifts that fulfill the true needs of the heart of both the one who receives the gift, and the giver.
May the Lord bless each and every one of you with a 'creative' Christmas. "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."-Phil.4:8
Madelainee is a wonderful friend and writer. Thanks, Madie, for the gift of your considerable talents!—Grant