Christmas Through The Eyes Of A Child! with Barbara D. MacAdam

For those who don't know me, let me first introduce myself. My name is Barbara D. Macadam and I am the artist and author of the Purple Wishing Gate's blessings. I was inspired to write these poems after the passing of my daughter from cancer. In keeping with what was important to my little Bonnie Rose while she treated for cancer, I'm donating money to the Children living on the Oncology Ward at the A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE.  As you'll read below, there was a selfless twist to her wish... Please help us reach our goal of $25 to every in-patient child, by LIKING US ON FACEBOOK. We hope to reach 4,000 Likes by Christmas, so please spread the word!

This is where my child’s Christmas story begins…  For Bonnie Rose, who was heroically fighting cancer, one of the deepest desires of her heart was to just “feel normal.”  Normal during the holidays, for a child who’s been sequestered to a hospital bed for months on end may mean something quite different than you’d expect. While it was clearly a beautiful thing to have her room decorated, and receive lots of donated gifts, what she secretly longed for was to be able to GIVE Christmas presents to Mom, Dad and her brother, Billy!  She knew in her heart, that GIVING something of herself to us, would last long after the holidays passed. This, she revealed, would make her “feel normal.” So… we devised a plan. While she trusted me to do the actual shopping for her, she worried about paying for these gifts, so we came up with the idea to give her Gift Cards, which she in turn, gave to me and her social worker to buy the gifts!

How touching, how sad and how beautiful it was to see her big brown doe-eyes light up at the thought of being able to GIVE gifts that Christmas!   I have no recollection of what she had me buy that year, but I will never forget that moment, validating what I knew to be true. Being able to GIVE from the heart, is often more of a blessing than to receive.

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So, what does Christmas look like through the eyes of most children?  I guess it depends on the child, but it generally conjures up visions of candy canes, gingerbread cookies and presents under the tree, delivered by a team of magical reindeer and Santa Clause… to whom they made their annual “wishes” known. Starting when I was a child, I continued the tradition of decorating the tree as a family and adding one special ornament each year. This inspired me to create our Star Angel Ornament, which now sits proudly on Christmas trees round the world. Picturing children dressed in their pajamas, wildly ripping off carefully wrapped holiday paper, in hopes of revealing that all-important gift they’ve been expecting, pretty much sums up the vision. A quite precious one at that.

It’s truly a wonderful time of year, filled with joy and an extra dose of hope, goodness and peace among men.  A child’s Christmas allows them to escape from their daily doldrums or problems, to a land of fantasy and celebration, which I believe is the part that we carry with us into adult hood. Ironically, it’s also a time for self-reflection, even for children, as they strive to be on Santa’s “nice list.” After all, who wants to be on his “naughty list,” when you’ve pinned your hopes on Santa to give you what you wished for. It’s a great incentive, used by parents everywhere, even after they’ve already bought all the special gifts they can afford for their children. But one of the best kept wonders of Christmas is the often-unexpected blessing one feels when able to GIVE something special to a deserving recipient. There’s nothing quite like seeing tears of joy, or ear-to-ear smiles, followed by hugs and kisses of gratitude. It satisfies a need, deep in our soul, to know that we are forever connected to another, and responsible for bringing them such joy. I believe that through these acts of kindness, you'll find the true Spirit of Christmas!

May you seek ways to spread peace and joy this holiday season, never forgetting its true meaning. And should you ever question just how much God loves you, remember that He started this gift-giving tradition with you in mind when Jesus was born on that first Christmas night!

In closing, I’d like to share an excerpt from my blessing, entitled "The Christmas Gift!"  which tells of how excited Heaven became at the birth of Jesus. My Pocket Blessing w/Snowflake Charm is a perfect stocking-stuffer, or you can frame or personalize the card for truly unique Christmas gifts this year..."The angels celebrated, flying wildly to and fro, while tossing up confetti, which kept turning into snow! This Baby known as Jesus, would one day give His life, so that each of us could have the GIFT of a glorious after-life. So, don't waste one more minute, wishing for presents under the tree. Accept His Gift with an open heart, it will last for eternity."

 Merry Christmas from all of us at  "The Purple Wishing Gate… where wishes made are turned to prayer, so God can keep them in His care!”

To read more about other campaigns, have a look at these related blogs:

The Votes Are In! The Selected Charity For 2018 Is…
An Open Letter from Purple Wishing Gate Founder Barbara D Macadam
Christmas Through the Eyes of a Child! With Barbara D. Macadam
Gifts That Give Back In 2022 – PWG Will Donate 10% Of Every Purchase To 'Camp Can Do'