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Country Christmas, 1948

Christmas 1948

When The Jar Broke On The Floor Of Our Bedroom, I Knew We Were Doomed. Santa Was NOT Going To Visit Our House That Night.

The Year Santa Claus Proved He Doesn’t Visit Naughty Children. Or Does He?

Note: About once a month, Monopolize Your Marketplace takes a break from marketing advice and focuses on personal development topics. We call this ongoing series “Personal Edge.” Enjoy!

Last week I told you I was a sucker for Christmas Stories when I shared my first story from 1998 with you, Wise Men Still Seek Him.

When I was a kid, nobody made Christmas as special as my Grandma Harshaw. It was truly magical when my brother and sisters and all of my cousins would get together out in the old country farmhouse and open presents and eat a huge turkey dinner. Much later, when I read my first Christmas story to my family in my own house in 1997, my grandma who loved Christmas was touched to tears. Some of my best Christmas memories included my Grandma Harshaw.

After she passed away in 2010 at age ninety-one, I wrote my second Christmas story—the one you’re about to read now—as a tribute to that special lady and gifted it to my dad and grandfather. Different versions of this story were told almost every Christmas in my family, usually prefaced by “Did you ever hear about the year Santa Claus didn’t come?” It’s a simple story of sin and redemption, as played out in the mind of my dad when he was just five years old back on the family farm in 1948.

When I wrote this story I hired an artist to illustrate it just for fun. I lucked into finding a stellar illustrator named Chad Lewis, who now illustrates every Monopolize Your Marketplace blog posting. When I showed the final copy with all the illustrations to my then-ninety-two-year old grandfather, he went on and on about how the pictures looked just like my grandma used to look when she was young. It was a big hit.

And now I’d like to share this with you. It’s a family story, but one I’m sure just about everyone can relate to. I hope you enjoy it—both story and pictures. If so, feel free to share it with your family.

God Bless you, and Merry Christmas!

Download Country Christmas 1948

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Wise Men Still Seek Him

Santa, Christmas Trees, Wreaths, Presents, And Trees Are Fun… But Did You Know They’re All Symbols Of Something Else?

Santa, Christmas Trees, Wreaths, Presents, And Trees Are Fun… But Did You Know They’re All Symbols Of Something Else?

A Story About The Real True Meaning Of Christmas

By Rich Harshaw

Note: About once a month, Monopolize Your Marketplace takes a break from marketing advice and focuses on personal development topics. We call this ongoing series “Personal Edge.” Enjoy!

I’ve always been a sucker for Christmas stories.

And I’ve always had a big mouth.

During the Christmas season of 1997, these two things intersected to create the story you’re about to read.

While visiting my in-law’s home that year, my mother-in-law read the family several Christmas stories. Most of them were short and fun; some were geared toward children; a few of them were even tear-jerkers.

On one particular night after a particularly edifying story, I surprised myself and the entire family by declaring that I would write a Christmas story of my own to be read at the next year’s Christmas.

When the next October rolled around, I realized I should probably get started on the story. Small problem—I had no ideas. Then I remembered a short poem I had read several years before about Santa Claus lamenting the fact that everyone loved Christmas, but almost nobody knew what any of the symbols of Christmas stood for. Like why green and red are the Christmas colors; why candy canes, bells, bows, and presents are associated with Christmas. Like that.

So I took that idea—explaining the symbols of Christmas—and wrapped it into a story about… wait for it… that’s right… advertising!
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