It's all about family and love and a little girl
For Kevin and Karen Riordan, the arrival of their adopted daughter, Nora Kim Lilly Riordan, has meant a season of joyous firsts.
"She's like our Christmas present," says Mrs. Riordan, 43, a clinical social worker. "She's exactly what we dreamed of since we got married -- this wonderful, beautiful, funny little girl."
After trying unsuccessfully to have a child, the couple decided a year ago to pursue adoption. But their chances of getting a healthy baby were slim because Mrs. Riordan was over 40, the age limit many agencies set for parents.
Last March, they received news from Associated Catholic Charities of a baby girl born seven weeks premature in Seoul, South Korea. By May, she was theirs.
In the past, the Riordans made whirlwind visits to friends and family. This year, they've invited relatives to their Catonsville home. Their presents for Nora include bath toys and a handmade quilt.
"Christmas in the past for us was fun, but we always had a feeling that something was missing," says Mr. Riordan, 38, an audio-visual specialist with the Army. "Obviously, it was that we both wanted a child in our lives."
As for what the couple would like their 11-month-old to recall of her first Christmas, Mrs. Riordan says: "I hope she remembers the love and the warmth and the lights. I hope she has some memory of the gaiety of it. She's surrounded by people who are thrilled with her. And I hope she remembers the sense of Christmas being about family and love." So what do two Annapolis kids dream about when it comes to Christmas? World peace? A cure for cancer? New episodes of Beavis and Butt-head?
"A Sega entertainment system," says 11-year-old Paul Macknis. "You hook it up to the TV and play games on it."
"If I like what I get for Christmas, I feel happy. If I don't, I'm kind of sad," Paul says. "But I always get some of the things I want."
Alex Krone, Paul's lifelong buddy who turns 10 next week, wants a mountain bike.
"If I get that, I really don't care if I get anything else," he says. "But if I don't get that, I want a CD player. I've never gotten a worst present because all my presents are pretty good. Me and my mom like to buy presents for each other and others in the
family, and we all pretty much know what we all like.
"I also like the Christmas feeling," Alex continues. "I like that feeling of joy and happiness."
"We usually invite our neighbors over on Christmas morning, and we have a big breakfast with home fries, bacon, eggs and sausage," says Paul. "First we open presents, then we have breakfast, and then later we have a turkey."
At the Macknis household, the kids wake up about 6 a.m., but they aren't allowed to open presents until 7 a.m.
"I guess I kind of like any present -- except Barbie dolls, even though I've never gotten one," Paul says. "I'll probably be happy with whatever I get, but I really, really, really want Sega."
Linell Smith "The spirit of St. Nicholas can exist in all of us," says Renato D'Angelo, who also goes by the name Santa Claus at the Security Square mall.
"I have a very real sense that Santa Claus should emphasize the meaning of Christmas. It's not all about toys. In fact, it is up to all of us to keep Santa Claus alive by doing good deeds all year long."
That is the true meaning of Christmas for this Santa Claus. The holidays evoke a loving feeling that should not disappear at the stroke of midnight.
"The simple fact is, if you are a compassionate person and you are doing good, then Christmas is possible each and every day in a spiritual sense," he says.
For Santa Claus, the holidays are also the time of year when a child's innocence shines through. Children lack the cynicism that too often comes with maturity, he says. They believe in Santa and all the goodness that the holiday represents.
"I would like for all the children to be kept innocent longer," he says.
@
Sandra Crockett "To me, Christmas is about getting back to the basics," says Paula A. Dozier, media relations representative for the Columbus Center. She is also a board member of the Reggie Lewis Foundation, a charitable organization established in memory of her cousin, the Boston Celtics star from Dunbar High School who died of a heart defect in 1993.
"To follow the teachings of Christ means a little more than the commercialization of Christmas," explains Ms. Dozier, a member the Power of Faith Evangelistic Church in West Baltimore.
"We bring everybody together to honor the day on which we were born," and so we should celebrate the birthday of the man "who has given life to the world," Ms. Dozier says.
"I like to pray about something specific every Christmas, something that I will be entering the new year with, that will set the tone for how I hope my year will go."
Ms. Dozier is focusing on her family as well. "Instead of us complaining, we really need to pray. . . . We will be strengthened through this."
Stephanie Shapiro