Merry Christmas. On Sunday morning, Dec. 18, 2016, Santa made a very special visit to a family in Raymore, Missouri. It was to visit 1-year-old Josie. Her grandmother, LuAnn, desperately wanted to see her granddaughter sit on Santa’s lap. The reason this was an urgent request was because LuAnn has cancer and was given two weeks to live. One thing she wanted more than anything was to see Josie with Santa Claus. I visited the family, read The Night Before Christmas, took all the photos they wanted and then, I left them with a wonderful symbol of the true spirit of Christmas – a Polar Express bell – as a way to mark the occasion and to serve as a family heirloom for years to come. All of the children marveled at the bell, passing it around and commenting on the sound and the weight of the bell. I told them to imagine 200 bells attached to the reindeer and sleigh – 100 on each side – ringing in Christmas all through the night of Dec. 24. Everyone loved the bell and Santa’s visit, especially Grandma LuAnn, and after all, these moments are what Christmas is all about.

If you wish to use any of this on your blog or wherever, that’s perfectly fine. Bless you all. Your special bells touch more lives and bring more wonder and joy than you will ever know.