Innocence and reality: A sad Christmas lesson
By The Bakersfield Californian
Santa's coming. The cookies must be set out the night before. The little ones are snug in their beds listening for Santa's bells and "Ho, ho, ho." Come early morning, they jump from their beds, make a dash for the Christmas tree to see what Santa has left for them. This day is the most wonderful time of the year.
The innocence of children; the reality of adults. Parents try to make Christmas the magic children dream of. They work hard to make it happen. The family dinner with Mom and/or Grandma preparing the turkey and all the fixin's. Dad and Grandpa in front of the TV, watching football. The children outside playing with their toys -- sent by Santa, of course! Oh, it's all so magical.
But not this year, because in the sleepy little town of Newtown, Conn., at a quiet little school, Satan rode in and slaughtered 26 people. We attend church at Christmastime to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, not to mourn the death of 20 babies and the six adults who never left those babies' sides. Those babies are now in the arms of God and the adults have become martyrs.
Nancy Ansolabehere
Bakersfield
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