Man fills 18-wheeler with toys for Christmas

A Dallas man worked with several area foundations to fill an eighteen-wheeler with toys for a thousand needy children.

Gregory Hudson says most of the toys were bought with his own money. His motivation was simple: he struggled as a child and wanted to help those who are where he was. “When you get up, make sure you go back and take care of your people,” he said.

In other news, a mother says her six-year-old met “the real Santa” last week at a sporting goods store in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Matthew Foster is blind and has autism. His mother, Misty Wolf, told reporters that he’s very interested in Santa. So, she brought him to a store early to avoid the crowds and hoped for the best.

Their visit was better than she could have imagined.

When Wolf explained Matthew’s condition, Santa raised his hand and said, “Say no more.” She later told reporters that “he knew exactly what to do.”

He walked over and knelt next to Matthew and invited him to touch his coat, its buttons, and his hat while he explained what Matthew was feeling. He got on the floor so Matthew would be more comfortable, then carried him to a taxidermied animal in the display to touch its antlers. Santa even let Matthew pull on his white beard.

“It was pretty magical,” his mother said.

Christmas through the eyes of a child

We could focus on discouraging news this morning: an eight-year-old boy died in US Border Patrol custody; the Indonesian tsunami death toll has climbed above four hundred; and a police officer was killed by a driver with “multiple prescription drugs” in his system. The officer was conducting a traffic stop at the time.

There’s always bad news in the news. However, I’d rather shift our attention elsewhere today.

Our two sons and their families were with Janet and me for Christmas. We have a nearly five-year-old granddaughter and three grandsons–two are two years old and one is three weeks old. Needless to say, our home was filled with noise,…