“At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.”
― Chris Van Allsburg
When I was a child, my grandmother gave my sister and me this Santa Clause. With a quick flip of a switch, “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” would begin to play as his feet slowly shuffled. At certain parts of the song, Santa would raise his hand and ring his bell. With today’s technology, Santa’s movement doesn’t seem that mesmerizing. However, as children, my sister and I were obsessed. We played with him non-stop every December. Santa’s song and shuffle was so non-stop that my parents declared that once Santa’s batteries died– they would not be replaced!
Twenty-seven years have passed. The batteries have never been replaced. Each year we gather and quietly push the switch and wait for the song, some movement, the ring of his bell. Sometimes it takes a few minutes, but suddenly the bell will ring. We still believe.
Photo taken on December 24, 2014 in Gainesville, Georgia
Sunday Speaks 