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The fog had
lifted as I arrived at my eldest son's home and our group began to
assemble around
the breakfast table, all excited about the rides and fun to be had at Universal Studio (home of Whoville), where I suspected I would be able to recover my Christmas wreath. |
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As
always the park is groomed to perfection, but I saw little
evidence of Christmas as I looked
around. Perhaps living so close to the Grinch he had also stolen their Christmas decorations. |
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| We headed across the park, my head all a'spin in anticipation of what lay ahead. |
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On
the way we encountered all kinds of wild rides, rides which would
literally put your head in a spin,
and where Eric realized for the first time he may have reached the age where having the top of your head feel as if it is coming off is no longer fun. We'll see next year if his memory has faded or not. |
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As
the pathways lead us around the park, we spotted the new Harry
Potter Castle,
part of the soon-to-open "Harry Potter World of Wizardry" on which has Eric has been working. The castle is high above everything else, but I knew that the Wizard had yet to arrive so I would get no help in my quest from there. |
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Crossing
the bridge leading over the water to Whoville I looked down and found
some very interesting
turtles which looks to be a species of Soft Shell or a Chicken Turtle; I'm not sure which. Soft Shells are being threatened by over-fishing and trapping right now in the Florida rivers. They just ignored me as if my quest was of little importance in there scope of things. |
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Finally
I see a sign and an arrow pointing "That Way" to find the Grinch and
there in bold letters
it actually stated that the Grinch had stolen Christmas. I surmised I was on the right track to suspect this mean ol' Grinch of having stolen my wreath. |
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The
citizens of Whoville, whom I must say were some pretty quirky looking
characters, were very
sympathetic, but no one had personally seen a wreath matching my description. I did get information that I was heading in the right direction and if I followed the street to the Village of Whoville, I should be able to find the Grinch. |
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Whoville
was decorated to the nines with every color and shape of Christmas
Wreath and it didn't
look like any of their wreaths were missing. |
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Although
the people in the village brought out several wreaths for me to check, none was mine.
But I also found that the Grinch had reformed his old thieving ways and was now a new person, full of the real Christmas Spirit. |
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At
first I was skeptical that a person such as he could change, but the town's people
assured me that the
problem is that "The Grinch's" heart had been too small and pinched, and by realizing that by stealing the decorations, he did not steal the Christmas Spirit which lived in the hearts of the people. That caused his own heart to grow three sizes, solving the problem with his "grinchiness". |
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The
children were so excited to see that the Grinch was now a good person,
a straight arrow kind
of guy, that they also assured me that my wreath would not be found in Whoville. |
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I also
realized that what was most important was that I enjoy the day
with my family and celebrate
my new found freedom. Freedom from thinking my Christmas Spirit had been stolen by the taking of a silly old wreath; and that Christmas was, after all, living in my heart. It was me who could make happiness out of little, and that the greatest gift to give is the gift of service to others who may be having a difficult time. It is me who determines that my Christmas Spirit will not rely on external things like decorations and presents but instead on family, love, and an understanding of what the season really represents. |
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I joined
in as everyone enjoyed Universal's highly decorated New York
City to celebrate the season
with the balloons which had recently traveled down from the real New York City Macy's Parade just so we could enjoy them in the warm Florida sunshine. |
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| Confetti showered us as the characters put on a good show. |
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| The Mother Goose float is always one of my favorites. |
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| Even Frosty the Snowman, through the magic of Christmas, managed to keep his frost in the warm air. |
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And
finally the old man himself, St. Nickolas, Santa Claus, Father
Christmas, or
whatever you want to call this symbol of giving, made his appearance on a beautiful float pulled by gorgeous reindeer. |
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My
son, Eric and beautiful Daughter-in-law, pose for our annual photograph
in front of the
Christmas Tree. Another holiday tradition as my feet cry for time to sit down. |
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The whole gang
posed for me in front of Grover (I made Grover stuffed
animals for my kids
and their
cousins long before they were on the commercial market), one
of our favorite Macy's
Parade balloons, and Sesame Street
characters, signaling an exhausted end to a very special day.
It has been a treat for my sons
Eric and David whose childhood hero was Jim Henson
and all the characters he
created, to in real life, get to work with the Muppets on
several jobs as well as to also
get to know his daughter, Heather, personally.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND
HERE'S HOPING THAT YOU KEEP THAT
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT ALIVE AND WELL
IN EACH AND EVERY HEART
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AHEAD.
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