By Moe Wosepka

Mike hated Christmas. Not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of overspending and the frantic running around at the last minute to get desperation gifts, for lack of ideas about what to give.

Knowing Mike felt this way, his wife decided to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth, and do something special for him. The inspiration for the special gift came from one of their son’s junior-level wresting meets.

Twelve-year-old son Kevin was wrestling in a non-league match against a team sponsored by an innercity church. These youngsters, with sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to Kevin’s team in their uniforms of blue and gold and their new wrestling shoes. As the match began, members of Kevin’s team were surprised to see their opponents wrestle without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Kevin’s team won every match, but as the inner-city boys got up from the mat, each swaggered around with a kind of street pride that wouldn’t acknowledge defeat.

Mike loved kids, all kids, and he knew them, having coached youth football, baseball and lacrosse. He recognized the pride this meager group maintained, and he commented that even though the young wrestlers had potential, losing every match and not having proper gear could take the heart out of a team. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, his wife went to a sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes. Then she sent them to the inner-city church, anonymously.

On Christmas Eve, she placed on the tree a plain white envelope containing a note that told Mike what she had done. She wrote that it was her gift to him. Mike’s smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year.

The envelope became a Christmas tradition. One year, Mike’s wife sent a group of mentally disabled youngsters to a hockey game. Another year, she sent a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas.

For Mike and his wife, the envelope became the highlight of their Christmas. It always was the last thing opened on Christmas morning and their children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its content.

The envelope never lost its allure, but the story doesn’t end there. Cancer claimed Mike a few years later. When Christmas rolled around, his wife was consumed by grief, but on Christmas Eve she placed an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.

Each of the children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, continued. Perhaps someday the grandchildren will be standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation, watching as their father retrieves the envelope.

One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the people he puts in our lives who love us, and those he gave us to love. As we celebrate the day that our Lord Jesus was born, let us celebrate those people he has put in our lives, those who are with us today and those who have gone before us.

May the Lord Jesus bless you and your family, and may we never forget the true reason for and meaning of Christmas.


Moe Wosepka is executive director of the Montana Catholic Conference. He may be reached by phone at 406-442-5761 or by e-mail to director@montanacc.org.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 12, December 17, 2010.