223: A Christmas in July Story

As I’m recording this, Christmas is almost six months away. I recall last Christmas, when I heard a few people say they wished we could have the Christmas spirit all year long. We can if we reflect the image and character of God. And I have a Christmas in July story for you today that shows us how.

Welcome to episode 223 of You Were Made for This, the podcast about finding joy in being the person God created each of us to be. Namely, someone who reflects the character, image, and likeness of God in all our relationships. It’s the THIS, we were made for.

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One of the things my in-laws were noted for was hosting a Christmas in July party in their small 1960s-style basement rec room. They did it up with a decorated Christmas tree, elephant gifts, loud laughter, and plenty of food. Especially my Italian mother-in-law’s signature spaghetti. It was quite a festive affair, without any of the stress that sometimes comes with Christmas in December.

With that in mind. I have a Christmas in July story for you, which actually took place last December, but that I’ve held onto it until now. It’s been hard holding it back because it’s one of my favorites.

Background to this Christmas in July story

The story I is about a man who embodies the spirit of Christmas by reflecting the character of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate on December 25th. But first I have to give you a little background information about my friend Paul.

I first met him years ago when a co-worker told me about taking her car to be fixed. She said, “My car was making a funny noise so I took in to Paul’s auto repair shop. He said it wasn’t a serious problem and would be expensive to repair. He told me if I could put up with that distracting sound, not to fix it. It’s not causing any harm. That’s what he would do if it were his car.”

This was classic Paul and the kind of business he ran.

The main character in this Christmas in July story

Paul is an avid baseball fan, and when I would take my car in for an oil change, he and I would talk briefly about baseball while one of  his mechanics worked on my car. In his reception area and waiting room he had some impressive pieces of baseball memorabilia. 

There was a large photograph of our then-new Major League Baseball stadium in Milwaukee, Miller Park, on the day it first opened. Another item was an official baseball bat signed by one of the Milwaukee Brewers. Jim Gantner, I seem to recall, but I could be wrong. All this is an important part of the story that I’ll get to later. So bear with me even if you’re not into baseball.

One Sunday morning several years after I first met Paul, I saw him from a distance in the parking lot of the large church Janet and I were attending at the time. Hmm, I thought. I wonder if he is a follower of Jesus like I am.

Depending upon the generosity of others

Now, by this time, I had closed my own recruiting business to work full-time in a missionary care ministry Janet and I helped start. To pay our bills we formed a non-profit corporation and began raising funds for our ministry. One of the people I contacted by mail was Paul, and to my surprise, he responded with a generous check. Why it surpeised meI don’t know, but it just did.

I was a pretty happy customer of Paul’s, but then one day I learned he had retired and sold his auto repair business to one of his mechanics. This didn't change anything for me because I continued to have my car serviced by the new owners, but missed seeing Paul.

Some time passed after Paul’s retirement, and one day while in for oil change I noticed all of Paul’s baseball souvenirs were gone. I didn’t say anything, except to ask if Paul was still around.

Another  character in this Christmas in July story

“Oh sure, he stops in every so often. He was here earlier this morning. You just missed him” was a common refrain I heard from the new owner. 

Fast forward to seven months ago and this past December. 

Like her mother who was noted for her Christmas in July parties, my wife Janet is noted for a snack mix she created for friends every Christmas. It’s made of pretzels, bugles, goldfish crackers, cashews and a few other secret ingredients. If you’d like to know the exact recipe, Janet and I would be glad to share it with you after dinner at your house. Wednesday evenings still work best, but we’re flexible.

Anyway, last December Janet was packaging her Christmas snack recipe for friends, and I asked her to make one up for Paul. He’s been so generous with us, it was the least we could do. I had his address from the checks he sends for our ministry. So it would be simple to drop off a package of Janet’s snack mix at his house. Or so I thought.

On a Saturday morning close to Christmas, I plugged Paul’s address into Google Maps on my phone and headed to his house with a package of Janet’s snack mix. I stopped in front of what I thought was his house, went to the front door, and rang the doorbell. A woman opened the door and I asked if this was Paul’s house.

“No, I’m sorry. You have the wrong address,” She said in a friendly manner.

A well-known neighbor

Pointing to her right she corrected me with, “Paul lives down the street, past the next street over. He’s in the second house in from the side street. It’s the one with the small wire reindeer decoration on the front lawn.”

I was amazed at the detail this woman knew about her neighbor down the block. My next-door neighbor knows my name. but I doubt if anyone else down the street does. Clearly Paul has made a name for himself, and by the tone of this neighbor’s voice, I could tell it was a positive one. 

I then drove down the street to the correct address for Paul’s house and parked at the end of his long driveway near the street. As I got out out of the car with Janet’s Christmas snack in hand, out from the garage came Paul who called to me, “Hello, John!”

I was surprised because it had been a number of years since I last saw Paul at his shop, and I never in a thousand years expected he would recognize me, much less remember my name. It could be that he listens to my podcast and noticed my license plate, which reads “I LISTEN.” I’ve used a photo of this plate several times in the show notes for several episodes.That’s my guess anyway.

I returned Paul’s greeting with one of my own as I walked up his driveway to where he was standing outside his garage. I gave him the package of Janet’s Christmas snack mix and told him how much we appreciated his support of our ministry.

Kindness and graciousness interrupt a conversation

We then had a few minutes of small talk, which brought me back to all the times we chatted when I brought my car in for service. In the middle of our conversation, a woman walked up the drive and gave a gift for Paul to give to his wife. They were clearly friends, and it was interesting watching the two of them chat. I was impressed with Paul’s genuine kindness and graciousness toward this woman. He is just one of those kinds of people you love being around.

After the lady left, I asked Paul how the auto service business he sold to one of his employees was doing. I told him that to me it looked like they were doing well, as I had a hard time getting an appointment the last time I took my car in. 

“Yeah. they’re doing great. They hired a couple of new cracker-jack mechanics and their business has really taken off,” Paul said. You could tell from the tone of his voice he was genuinely happy for the guys who took over his business.

I then said, “I noticed they took down all your baseball stuff from the wall. The bat, the photos, etc.”

“Yes they did,” Paul remarked. “They wanted to make the waiting room and office their own, which I understand.” His eyes then lit up, and he became more expressive and animated as he spoke. “But I’ve got a story for you about all that.”

Christmas in July comes alive for me when I think of this story

He began with,“I started seeing a new doctor and the first time I went to his office you couldn’t help but notice how stark and plain it was. It looked pretty institutionalized.

So the next time I went to see him I said, “You know I sold my business and I had all this baseball memorabilia that I took with me. A signed baseball bat, phots of Miller Park the day it opened, stuff like that. I’d like to give it to you if you’re interested so you could put it up in your waiting room. I know my customers liked it, and I think your patients might lie it too. It’s all yours if you want it.”

The doctor was grateful for the offer, but the medical network he was with prohibited accepting gifts from patients. Hmm. Paul thought for a minute, then said,

“Well, how about if I lease all my baseball stuff to you with a 99-year verbal lease? It wouldn’t be a gift then. Just a lease.”

I burst out laughing.

The doctor said, “I think that would work.” So he took Paul’s baseball artifacts and the next time he had an appointment with his doctor, he saw all of it displayed on a waiting room wall. “My doctor said his patients loved seeing all the stuff displayed, and it just warmed up the waiting room and humanized it.”

“How generous of you, Paul,” I said.

“It was just going to sit in my basement otherwise,” he remarked.

Our conversation came to a close, and I headed home, smiling all the way. I still smile when I think of it now, here in the middle of July, six months later.

The joy of Christmas isn’t limited to December 25th

So what’s the point of this Christmas in July story? For me, it’s connecting the dots with the joy of that first Christmas when God was kind and generous enough to send us his son Jesus - connecting this with the joy that came from the kindness and generosity of both Janet and Paul.

Janet making that Christmas snack mix and giving it away to people, and Paul for giving away…opps, I mean leasing his baseball memorabilia to his doctor. Neither Janet nor Paul got anything tangible in return for their generosity. But they did bring a measure of joy into the lives of people. And in doing so, reflected the likeness and image of God through their kindness and generosity.

They were made for this. And so were you and I. 

Merry Christmas in July, everyone.

Closing

As we wrap up things for today, I hope your thinking was stimulated by today’s show, to appreciate the kindness and generosity of the people in your life. And maybe even become one of these people yourself.

I’d love to hear your thoughts or reactions to today’s episode. Just go to the show notes for today’s program at JohnCertalic.com, then scroll down to the end to the “Leave a comment” box.

Finally, remember to spread a little relational sunshine around the people you meet this week. Spark some joy for them.  And I’ll see you again next time. Goodbye for now.

Other episodes or resources related to today’s shows

208: Christmas: A Time to Reflect

Prior recent episode

221: “I Want to Hear Your Story”

All past and future episodes can be found at JohnCertalic.com