Cherlie and I and our staff aren’t getting any time off from our clinic this holiday season, since Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Fridays, which is not a regular clinic day for us. But, we did try to make the season real by playing Santa Claus ourselves. As any of you know who have visited us here, as we get within a couple of miles of the clinic, we start noticing an interesting phenomenon. As our jeep slowly wends its way up the mountain, all the little children who live by the side of the road come running out to shout “Goodbye” and wave to us. They’re all between the ages of about 2 and 5 years old and our morning and afternoon passing has become a sort of ritual for them. It’s become quite comical to us, especially when we hear one child call out to another “the doctor is coming, the doctor is coming”!

Well, this year on Christmas Eve afternoon as we made our way down the mountain and past the waving little ones, we had special gifts for them – large stuffed animals (Beanies) and brand new hot wheels cars still in their packages. The squeals of delight were a joy to behold and we felt certain that we blessed the lives of at least a few little souls this holiday season. Santa couldn’t have been more pleased himself!

Gifts for our little friends

Squeal of delight!

Something for everyone