197eleven
Call to Action
What if you could wake up every day feeling like a six- year-
old on Christmas morning? Do you remember what that felt
like? The hope? The anticipation? The unbounded belief that
anything was possible?
When we were six, we fully believed there could be a real
pony under the tree. Or a new bike. Or maybe even a puppy.
When we were six, Christmas morning couldn’t come soon
enough. No matter how groggy we felt when we woke up,
within seconds it hit us: “It’s Christmas!” Our hearts flooded
with excitement and our footie- pajama- clad feet flew to the
living room.
I’m not six anymore, but I have three children, and I love
seeing their eagerness and joy on Christmas morning. All year
long they write in their wish lists— plain spiral notebooks
transformed into hope chests. They scribble in them, paste in
pictures, and highlight favorite toys. They constantly refine
them, itemize by price (oh, yes, they do), and build their antic-
ipation for the big day. As they fall asleep on December 24,