The Year Without a Santa Claus - Heat Miser~Snow Miser (A. Rankin Jr., J. Bass) ~ Erwin Lazaro 047

Appreciation.



I was a terrible youth, and an only child for almost nine years, before my baby sister was born.  My personality began to change, for the better, when my sister took her first breath and became a true blessing for our growing family.  She has been an angel in my life from the moment that she took that first breath.  No brother can have a more wonderful sister than I have in Kristine Marie.  Kristine continues to be an angel on my shoulder, reminding me, and inspiring me, to always make the effort to DO my BEST.  Life has little meaning without APPRECIATION.  Without appreciation, humility doesn't exist.  Without humility, foolishness prevails.  Thus, appreciation and humility go hand in hand.  Living, without appreciation and humility, is like viewing our world through a black and white television.  The world is monochromatic and only one perspective matters; your own.  What kind of world is THAT?  I have to profess that appreciation and humility enlightens our world with an entire spectrum of high-definition, three-dimensional, colorful, ideology that knows no bounds.  Personal revelation is priceless.  Oprah would refer to these personal revelations as "AH-HA" moments.  Regardless of the number of times a person is told to do something the "correct" way, complete understanding won't be revealed, until that "correct" choice is made, independently.  Funny that: experience being the only "true" teacher.  My appreciation for life didn't begin until my sister blessed my life.  Kristine was my first "AH-HA" moment.  From that time forward, my world changed for the better.  Even so, life's a challenging road, full of obstacles; often repeating the same mistakes, over and over, again.  The key is: NEVER GIVE UP.  APPRECIATION blooms from adversity.  Fancy that.  Through perseverance, I appreciate my awareness and I am continually humbled by all that Blesses my life.  Please, think of your own "AH-HA" moments.

If you're familiar with the stop-motion animated television special of 'The Year Without a Santa Claus' (my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE of all holiday specials), you'd know that the mother of both, the Heat Miser, and the Snow Miser, is none other than Mother Nature.  The two stepbrothers can never seem to find common ground, simply because of the "nature" of who they are.  Yet, the most significant fact remains.  The two stepbrothers share the same origin; the same birth place; their mother.  The common ground for which they share can never be altered, yet, their existence shapes a difficult future, because of a lack of appreciation for one another's differences.  It takes a scolding from their "all-powerful" mother, for the two siblings to compromise, just long enough to help Mrs. Claus and her two spunky elves.  Alas, if it were only that simple, in REAL life.  So, please, appreciate differences.  Have you ever met ANY two people who were EXACTLY alike?

From Wikipedia:
'The Year Without a Santa Claus' is a 1974 Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated television special.  It usually airs during the Christmas season on United States television.  The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name, illustrated by Kurt Werth.  The show is set in the 1920s and is narrated by Shirley Booth (as Mrs. Claus).  Santa Claus is voiced by Mickey Rooney (who voiced the same character in 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town').  Heat Miser is voiced by George S. Irving and his stepbrother, Snow Miser, is voiced by Dick Shawn.  The special premiered in 1974 on ABC where it aired annually until 1980, and still airs on the ABC Family cable network.