FROM THE PASTOR

And I Still Believe. . .

This Christmas season blog neither reflects upon our Lord’s Nativity nor ponders the mysteries of the Incarnation. However, I hope it will cause a smile, and perhaps, bring to mind a long-forgotten memory of a Christmas past.

Family lore recounts that Santa Claus left a Lionel train under the tree for me on my first Christmas. (What 9-month-old child isn’t passionate about model railroading?) The engine was a silver Burlington line diesel – back in the day before Burlington became Burlington Northern became Burlington Northern Santa Fe – and it pulled a line of freight cars. A Sunoco tank car. A Lehigh Valley hopper car.  A Lionel flat car and caboose. The engine had a horn that could be sounded and the latest Lionel technology – magnatraction.  You couldn’t run this engine off the tracks.

Each year Santa would add to the train layout with gifts for me and my little brother, born two years after me. There was a crossing gate and signal man’s shack, and remote-controlled switches, and, more freight cars (including operating cars), and more track. There were Plasticville buildings – 50’s style ranch houses and Cape Cods, the bank, hospital, police station, fire station, gas station, factory, city hall, school, church, farmhouse and barn with all the outlying buildings and sheds. Then all the buildings were lit and roads were added between the buildings and there were cars and trucks on the road and trees and telephone poles and people. The layout was becoming a complete and detailed little village.

The layout grew to cover two 4’ x 8’ platforms that filled our family’s “front room.” However, because of his generosity Santa was creating a problem for himself. It was our family’s annual Christmas Eve tradition to attend an early (7:30 pm) church service after which we went to our paternal grandparents’ house to spend time with our two dozen cousins, and then to go home for a much later than normal bedtime. When we got home, we would find that Santa had not yet visited. There were no gifts. No tree. No 4’ x 8’ platforms with train and track and Plasticville houses. We knew those things would arrive when Santa came to our house – after we went to bed. I am certain that Santa had a very busy night and little sleep on Christmas Eve night/Christmas morning.

However, Santa didn’t get to be as old as he is without becoming wise. It took a few years, but he came up with a plan. Early one Saturday morning in mid-December when I was 6 and my brother 4 (or maybe it was 7 and 5) my brother and I awoke to find a surprise under our beds. We pulled out boxes filled with track and train cars and buildings and people – and even decorations for the Christmas tree. There was also a note from Santa explaining that he was very, very busy that year and needed Mom and Dad’s help. Santa wrote he was delivering the Lionel set and all the other accessories early so that they (with our help) could put up the layout before Christmas Eve and save him all that time on his busiest night of the year. Santa promised that he, of course, would make his usual stop on Christmas Eve to deliver presents.

And absolutely without question my brother and I believed Santa.

My brother and I are both in our 70’s now. I still have the Burlington. It is set up in my basement train room and it still pulls freight cars.  Between us we still have all the Lionel and Plasticville we were given – and to which we have since added. My brother is blessed to have a train-loving grandson who is learning and enjoying model-railroading with him.

And we still believe in Santa.

Pastor John E. Schumacher, BCC