Christmas Commercialism: An Antidote 
"One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.
And sixty cents of it was in pennies...."
Thus begins O. Henry's classic short story, The Gift of the Magi. O. Henry presented it as a retelling of the Christmas Story, but if you listen carefully, you can hear faint echoes of another Bible story, The Widow's Mite.
Now comes a modern ballad that weaves together threads of these and other stories. You can thank country music star, Kenny Chesney, for this treasure. I know some folks think they are too sophisticated for country music. I used to think that way until the night I heard "I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lyin' On My Back In My Bed While I Cry Over You."
In the true spirit of Christmas, let me share the lyrics of Kenny Chesney's song, The Christmas Shoes (For Mama). It is not every day that listening to a song can heal you, but this one is a cure for what ails us.
It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another line
Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing 'round like little boys do
And in his hands he held a pair of shoesHis clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him sayChorus:
Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonightHe counted pennies for what seemed like years
Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here"
He searched his pockets frantically
Then he turned and he looked at me
He said Mama made Christmas good at our house
Though most years she just did without
Tell me Sir, what am I going to do,
Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoesSo I laid the money down, I just had to help him out
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said
Mama's gonna look so greatSir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonightBridge:
I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love
As he thanked me and ran out
I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me just what Christmas is all aboutRepeat Chorus
I couldn't find a copy of him performing this on YouTube, but I did come across another gem of his. It's called The Good Stuff. It really is... enjoy.
KEYWORDS: kenny chesney, christmas shoes for mama, meaning of christmas, mything the point
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