View from the North 40: It's a bumpy ride toward a miracle

Hang on, this is going to be a two-parter because in order to understand my Christmas, you have to know the background, the dark side of the story.

Think about it. If you didn’t know Ebenezer Scrooge’s cold-hearted, skin-flinty past, present and future, you wouldn’t be awed by the miracle of his Christmas generosity. You would think, “Why did that ridiculous old fart wait until Christmas morning to buy his turkey? Procrastinators like that are a pain in the baster.” Then you would go on with your day, never awed, never having a soft, melty, Christmas-miracle heart.

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