ANOTHER CHRISTMAS STORY!

Our visit with the Thompson's was wonderful! What a blessing and gift their friendship is and has been! The only problem was it was TOO SHORT, but I will take what I can get. Busy busy getting ready for the holidays. The troops start arriving tomorrow. We can't wait.

This isn't my best work-but you learn by doing!

HERBERT THE MEDIOCORE ELF

Herbert heard his alarm go off at the normal time of 6:30, just like it did every morning. He sighed and slowly sat back and pushed off the covers as he put his feet on the cold floor. Off to the bathroom and, after washing up, he put on his “elf suit” just as he did every morning. The “elf suit” is red and green and since it was the required uniform at work, there was never an option of wearing anything else. A breakfast of oatmeal and orange juice-everyday- and out the door and off to work went Herbert.

Herbert was assigned to the “rag doll section” of Santa’s Workshop. The smart elves made the electronic toys, the artistic elves made the designer dolls, the fast elves were assigned the cars, trucks, bikes and another toy that rolled. The list could go on and on with all of the talented and smart elves assigned to specific toy departments. Herbert had tried several of these departments, but he was not really capable of any of this specialized work. After Santa had tried him-unsuccessfully-in almost every department, he had finally sent Herbert to the rag doll room.

The rag doll room was a mundane job sewing together dolls made from old rags. The stitches were pretty much a straight line and the face and features were created from buttons sewed directly on the fabric. The hair of each doll was yarn which was tied together and then sewn on the doll. These dolls were not really high tech or particularly attractive-JUST PLAIN OLD DOLLS.

Herbert went to work everyday and stayed in the “rag doll department” from the entire time he was at work. Since the dolls were neither technically difficult nor requiring any delicate hand work, the department was at the back of the workshop. Herbert worked at a steady, but not very fast pace and added doll after doll to the warehouse stockroom. The stockroom was stacked to the ceiling with every conceivable toy that any boy or girl could want. The ragdolls were stuck way back in the rear of the room. Herbert wondered why they even continued to make the rag dolls. With so many options of dolls for girls to choose from, he knew that his labor was more than likely in vain. Life seemed pointless and Herbert considered retiring. After hundreds of years of the same job, day after day, year after year, Herbert felt as if his usefulness had passed and the day of the “rag doll” had passed. Why would anyone want a “rag doll”, when there were more beautiful and smarter dolls on every shelf?

Herbert asked for an appointment to see Santa. Santa was a VERY busy elf, but he took the time to meet with Herbert and hear him out. When Herbert told Santa that he thought it was time to retire, Santa was shocked and dismayed. Herbert explained that he was not a particularly talented elf and the small contribution of making “rag dolls” had passed its time of need. Santa quickly took Herbert by the arm and led him to the file room. He told Herbert that he wanted to share some of his files with him, in the hope of dissuading Herbert from retiring. Herbert agreed to go, but he had his mind made up and only went with Santa to be polite.

The first file that Santa pulled was a picture of a cute little girl AND SHE WAS HOLDING ONE OF HERBERT’S DOLLS. Herbert was shocked, but he understood when Santa read him the girl’s Mother’s letter. Susie was blind and unable to see, but she loves the soft material of the “rag doll” and spent many an hour playing with the doll. Since Susie could not see, she relied upon her sense of touch and smell to identify her beloved doll. The doll’s body was made from the softest velveteen. She loved rubbing the material. The doll smelled like Christmas itself since it had absorbed all of the aromas which floated around Santa’s Workshop. Susie could smell her doll as soon as she entered the room and following the smell, she could find and identify the much loved doll. Herbert’s doll had given Susie many hours of joy and was her must treasured possession.

The next file was from a daughter of an elderly patient in a nursing home. The doll had been a present to her beloved mother and she spent all of her waking hours holding and tending to the doll. Her mother was often confused and unaware of the world around her, but the doll brought her a touch of the reality she had once known. The daughter was so grateful for the doll and the mother cherished the “rag doll” and the sweet memories it stirred. The doll was capable of bringing calm like nothing else could and the daughter was thankful for the sweetness it stirred in an otherwise absent mother. Time had not been kind, but the precious mother’s love was reflected in the way she cared for and loved the “rag doll.”

The final file that Santa pulled was from a family that lived far back in the hills. The daughter of the family had been affected since birth and lacked a “normal” child’s ability to learn. She would never speak and her mother had to tend to her every need. The girl was unable to dress or feed herself. She stayed in a state of confusion since she was unable to communicate and was often restless and distraught. The “rag doll” that Santa had brought was the girl’s only comfort. She carried the doll with her every moment she was awake and even took the doll to bed at night. Unable to play with the more sophisticated toys of today, the “rag doll” was the perfect toy for the girl. Tattered and resewn, threadbare, and well worn, the “rag doll” was the calming element in a confusing world-the PERFECT GIFT.

After Herbert had read the files, Santa asked did he now understand how important his job was? Herbert had always thought his job not important and that he was expendable. He now understood that each and every job in the work shop was important and well worth his best efforts. Herbert slowly smiled and thanked Santa. As he slowly walked back to the “rag doll” department, he resolved to continue to do his very best. Each and every rag doll was meant as a very important gift to a very special person. Santa had shown Herbert that his job was indeed important and as he walked back to work, Herbert resolved to do his very best when sewing together each and every “rag doll”. After all you never knew who would end up with the special “Herbert Created Rag Doll.”