Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/592245
SACRED HEART HOSPITAL 900 W CLAIREMONT AVE EAU CLAIRE, WI 54701-5105 This publication in no way seeks to serve as a substitute for professional medical care. Consult your physician before undertaking any form of medi- cal treatment or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines. BY EMMY B. Inspirations AT THE END OF THE DAY… TAKE A MOMENT FOR YOURSELF AS YOU WRAP UP A BUSY DAY AND ENJOY THESE POSITIVE THOUGHTS FROM AN HSHS SACRED HEART HOSPITAL COLLEAGUE. CHRISTMAS IS A MAGICAL time of year. No matter how old I am, this wondrous season transports me back to my childhood: tinsel on the tree, twinkling lights brightening the night, carefully wrapped packages just begging to be opened, and the Nativity scene prominently displayed on our fireplace mantel. When I was a kid, my family would gather around the dinner table on Christmas Eve, usually with a grandma or two joining the festivities. My sisters and I would half-heartedly eat the delicious meal Mom had prepared, all the while listening intently for Santa's arrival. Back in those days, there was a "Santa Claus Club" in town. Mom would put a sack of gifts on our front porch, and "Santa" would show up, hoist the sack onto his back, and Ho-Ho-Ho his way into our house, much to the squealing delight of us kids. The problem was Mom never knew when Santa was going to arrive. One year we were just beginning dinner when we heard him at our door. Mom's painstakingly-made feast was sacrificed for some Santa time! The next year, Mom decided we'd eat earlier so we'd be ready when the Big Man appeared. Well, the clock ticked away the hours and no Santa. Finally, around 9 o'clock, as I was fighting off sleep (and tears, thinking he'd passed us by), the doorbell rang and there was Santa … a decidedly inebriated Santa! Thankfully my sisters and I were naively unaware that he was just a little bit too jolly. Mom, always the pragmatist, wasn't too exasperated with Santa. She knew that Christmas doesn't have to turn out "just so" to be wonderful. Note to self: "When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things — not the great occasions — give off the greatest glow of happiness." (Bob Hope)