A Box Full of Kisses
(My adaptation of a Christmas Story by an unknown author.)
Steve W. Reeves
“Come
quick Daddy! It’s Christmas!” The excited voice of a little four year old girl
stirred her father from his slumber. Impatiently, she grabbed his arm and began
pulling. “Daddy, it’s time to see what’s under the tree. Let’s go!” Oh how the
father had dreaded this morning. He knew that Santa’s visit this year was scarce.
Times were hard and the family’s resources were meager. The best Santa could do
was a small doll, a few pieces of hard candy an apple and an orange.
Remarkably,
the little child was not interested in her stocking. Her attention was on a
small shoe box loosely wrapped with gold foil precariously held together by a
wad of red ribbon. “Here, Daddy, it’s for you,” she squealed. The father could
not imagine what his little girl could give. After all, what could a poor child
who received no allowance possibly give? As he untangled the ribbon and removed
the gold foil he thought to himself, “What a waste. I must teach this child to
not squander such things.” His frustration grew when he opened the box to find
it completely empty. The little girl giggled but the father’s anger rushed to
the surface as he blurted out, “I don’t think it’s very funny to give someone
an empty box for Christmas. You have wasted some of our best gold foil and
ribbon. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“
The
stunned child spoke between her sobs. “The box is not empty, Daddy. Before I
wrapped it I blew kisses into it. It’s a box full of kisses.”
A tide
of remorse swept over the father. He pulled his little girl close and apologized
profusely. He held her tight and took several “kisses” from the box. Soon the
little girl’s Christmas joy returned. What the father did not know was that
this Christmas would be the last one he would spend with his precious child. In
the coming year she would pass away due to a sudden illness. For the rest of
his life the father kept the shoe box, gold foil and ribbon by his bed. Each
night before going to sleep he would take a kiss from the box and touch it to
his cheek. It was the best Christmas gift he ever received.
The
best gifts you can give your family are not ordered “on-line” or bought in a
store. They are the gifts of love that come from your heart.
