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Dec. 21, 2022 - Louder with Crowder
01:23:40
LWC CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2022! | #MUGCLUBFOREVER
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What is it that you most want for Christmas this year?
Not just presents, because Santa, I think, will have you covered if you stay a good boy, but what do you want to do here with your family?
What do you want to see happen for the Muir family?
You're the man of the house!
I want to see Gracie get married.
It's always fantastic when we can give back.
Look, and I know what you're thinking, don't skip, don't skip some very important information.
We just wanted to take this last opportunity to make sure that we do not lose touch with you.
If you are a Mug Club subscriber right now, or if you want to join Mug Club, Please go to MugClubForever.com, enter your email address.
You will get no other communication from us, but make sure that you go there.
There's no other reason to be subscribed on that list unless you are a Mug Club member or you want to be a Mug Club member.
Make sure you follow us on social.
We'll have all the updates there, just about other information as we take some time here to figure out where Mug Club will be going.
But we love you guys.
We want you to have a fantastic time.
And what better way to end the year than to make sure we give a little back and On with the show.
Whoa!
What's this? What's this?
There's candles everywhere!
What's this?
There's no fit in the air!
What's this?
I can't believe my eyes are being drunken sodomized right over there!
What's this?
This all sounds very wrong.
Seven.
Principle's too long.
What's this?
Streets are lined with people doing God knows what.
Using blackness as a crutch.
Am I going nuts?
What is this?
What's this?
When the children are done playing, they'll climb into their beds, get fed a load of crap from the stories they are read.
They'll follow the Karengo, I can't believe the lies!
Did they mention all the girls he dragged and beat and tied?
Oh look!
The two people who celebrate this day!
Their blue isn't pink, they're white!
Cause no one black really likes this holiday, you ass, I bet they'd say, what's this?
Oh look, in here, they've got a fancy tree, a little derivative to me, and hate!
Don't think me lies are wrong, ever taught it, even called Jesus psychotic, is there anyone who bought it?
There's a listen, I'm not honest, looks like shit, this looks like shit, he was a racist half-wit twit!
What's this?
Oh look, the kids, they made their crowns a wish, but someone stole their crowns a gift.
I kid, but can you please just tell me why you praise a guy who always tries to tell you this isn't your homeland?
What's this?
He'll tell you of its value and how support is strong.
But tell me, can you even name a single Kwanzaa song?
You'd say it's like Black Christmas and I'd say that's quite a leap.
Why do people sit here and listen to this creep?
Please, just let me leave this horrid place.
I'd like to go home right away.
You know it's wrong to base a holiday on race and tell people to love a place you've never been, you'll never go, you know it's not your home!
I want to go!
I want to go!
But it's just not that I'm found!
What.
Is.
This?
Kwanzaa Town?
Quasar Town? Sh**.
🎵 🎵 You're a strange animal, that's what I know 🎵
🎵 🎵 You're a strange animal, I got to follow 🎵
🎵 🎵 I'm a speedy ghost 🎵
🎵 🎵
🎵 💥
Oh my!
It is hard to do that sip when look at all the marshmallows in there.
That makes it difficult.
We almost just had to give Santa Crowder a tracheotomy, but it's Christmas so everyone gets to keep their jobs this year.
It's also scalding hot.
But it is delicious and actually you can go and get your own at I believe santacrowdercoco.com and I assure you that I stand to not make a penny from it.
It's coffee brand coffee company.
But they do cocoa.
Just rebrand it so it's easy for you to find with a URL.
I highly recommend it.
I've never had anything better.
I have to take off this glove too.
Look!
This is something that we do every year here at the Louder With Crowder studio where we do Just the little part that we can to give back.
If you're looking for politics, this is not the place for you today.
You're looking for hot takes?
They're right out!
This is just about highlighting some people and families and stories and hopefully helping some people out there who need a little assistance making their Christmas miracle happen.
So we're going to be highlighting some of those families who we went out to help this year, some charities, and we're going to have some special guests calling in to wish all of you Mug Clubbers a Merry Christmas, and of course none of this is possible without your assistance in signing up at MugClubForever.com, but You already knew that.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
So we have some.
I have a list here of people.
Oh, we'll have special guests.
Dean Cain, Clint Howard, Jason Whitlock, Michael Knowles, and Ben Shapiro.
Well, everyone's welcome.
Good for you taking part.
We really appreciate it.
So, most importantly, we'll be trying to bless some families and organizations in need.
And we have a couple of Well, two very specific families later on in this program who I think will, if nothing else, give you a little appreciation for what you have this year and take some time to help spread some Christmas cheer to those around you.
I know that all of us have our troubles, we have our thing to deal with, but...
There's someone else who could maybe use a hand, and sometimes thinking about them and focusing on their needs and what you can do to meet them, well, makes that season just a little bit more meaningful.
Before we get to that, though, here are some other families we visited to deliver toys.
Now, as you well know, Santa's sleigh is in the shop.
It's really just a one-time-a-year thing, so they had to send in their videos.
We did deliver toys for their family and some assistance, but they did it by...
Zoom.
Correct?
Okay, let's roll it.
Roll it!
Oh, oh, oh.
Ada.
What would you like for Christmas?
A new hoverboard.
A VR headset.
Um, Posca pens.
Alcohol markers.
Room decorations.
New clothes.
Any of that.
Pokemon cards and...
Bring a guitar out.
I like to play mobile blocks, fireman, ambulance, and police.
I want an iPad.
I want an iPad.
I want something 80s themed.
I think that'd be really fun.
Scissory socks and construction vehicles.
Construction vehicles.
Airsoft, Glock, pistol.
A new headset.
What do you want for Christmas?
A Black Sabbath.
What do you want for Christmas?
Minecraft Lego sets.
I want a hoverboard and a new art set.
What does your sister want for Christmas?
She wants a makeup desk.
A makeup desk?
Christmas!
You want Christmas?
What does Christmas mean to you?
Celebrating Jesus' birthday and all coming together.
It means a little baby, Jesus, and family.
Christmas means to me spending time with family and friends and getting to celebrate.
The day that Jesus was born was fun.
Christmas means to me spending time with my family, going to church on Christmas Eve, and playing in the snow.
To spend time with family and friends, and also to worship Jesus because it's his birthday.
Joy, love, friends and family together, and celebrating the birth of our Savior.
It's the day Jesus was born.
Celebrating Jesus' birthday.
Surprise!
It's Jesus' birthday and spend time with families and hear about Jesus.
Okay.
Christmas means spending time with family, decorating the Christmas tree, and drinking hot cocoa.
Spending time with your family.
It will be our family Family, fun, and also prison!
Prison!
Thank you very much.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our emails, and bye!
Bye!
Say bye!
Bye!
Merry Christmas, Mother of Crowder.
And on nice, we have... Yay, okay.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
I told you to stop playing pranks on Santa.
It's a violation of your employment contract.
At least, you know, no one on this list ended up as... weird as one of my last elves, uh, Hermie.
It is right before Christmas, and everybody is getting ready for that big sleigh ride on the night of the 24th.
Christmas Eve.
See, all these toys are made by these elves.
These elves have that certain knack for toy making.
All except for this, this one misfit.
Herbie!
Aren't you finished painting that yet?
There's a pileup a mile behind you.
What's eating you, boy?
Well, see, that's the problem, I guess.
What?
I just don't like being a boy.
Oh, well, if that's all... What?
You don't like being a boy?
No.
Hermie doesn't like being a boy.
Hermie doesn't like being a boy.
Shame on you, Hermie!
Do you mind telling me what you do wanna be?
Well, sir, someday I'd like to be a... a lady.
A lady?!
Well, we need one up here.
See, I've been studying, and there's hormone blockers, and bottom transition surgery, and fake... Now listen, you!
You're a boy elf!
And boy elves stay boy!
Now get to work!
Ten minute break!
Will you finish the job or you're fired?
Why is he such a transphobe?
Why is he such a transphobe?
I can't stand wearing men's clothes.
Chop my d**k off with gusto.
Then I might fit in.
Oh, that was weird.
Now on to my favorite part of the program.
It's time for Crowder Gives Back.
Oh, what's that I hear?
Are those carolers at Santa Crowder's door?
Christmas?
I mean, I grew up in America.
Christmas is not just a Christian holiday, it's sort of an American holiday.
That does not mean that I celebrate Christmas, but the sort of Christmas spirit that pervades the season is...
Really fun and enriching and endearing for, I think, everybody who lives in the United States.
You don't have to celebrate the holiday to appreciate the spirit of the season.
What does Christmas mean to me?
Well, obviously it means the birth of Christ.
It is very, very touching to me.
A lot of people complain that Christmas has a lot of pagan There's symbolism in it, like the Christmas tree and things, and maybe it's a pagan holiday.
But to me, that's a feature, not a bug.
Christianity should Christianize everything it touches.
And if you have a wonderful holiday and some wonderful traditions, and they begin to represent Christ, that's a good thing.
I mean, I know I'm talking to Crowder's audience, so you're a bunch of troglodytes who are punching yourself repeatedly in the face just because you want to find out what it feels like.
But obviously, I think it's an important idea, if you can possibly understand it.
What does Christmas mean to me?
It means the birth of our Lord and Savior and the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity.
What Christmas really means to me?
is a wonderful thing that just shows how deeply Christianity transforms everything
into joy and also you get presents.
What does Christmas mean to me?
It means the birth of our Lord and Savior and the incarnation of the second person of the Holy
Trinity.
What Christmas really means to me?
Friggin' great food.
Growing up I've had some feasts of feasts on Christmas.
Looking forward to pigging out.
You know, you got that diabetic coma going on in the afternoon.
Real good Christmas spirit.
And in all honesty, what Christmas really means to me is the birth of my faith.
You know, we all have faith.
I have faith.
And I take a moment on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, to go back and reflect on the birth Our favorite Christmas tradition, um, would be, would be Mama.
Yeah.
Yeah, Mama, Mama loved Christmas.
And it's hard.
Oh, she loved Christmas.
She, she did the most you could possibly do with no money.
And still made Christmas great for, for our kids, man.
Like Mama on Christmas Eve, that turkey, man.
Mama get this turkey.
It wasn't a big turkey.
It was like a damn hen.
But like I said, she did the most with the little butter we had.
That turkey, that damn hen, wasn't no more than two, three pounds.
Matter of fact, looking back, I think it was a Cornish hen in that thing.
But anyway... A what?
A Cornish hen.
But anyway, mama will cook the turkey for Christmas Eve night.
Cook it slow, man.
Yeah, she'll cook that turkey for three days.
No, she'll cook it at night.
A slow roast.
No, for three days, man.
Mama take her time with that turkey, man.
No, she will cook the turkey.
For three days, man.
Yeah, she'll cook that turkey that night.
And over Christmas Eve night, that turkey, when you sleeping in the bed, thinking about what Santa Claus gonna bring us, all you can smell is that damn turkey now.
Stop now.
You know we won't get nothing from Santa Claus.
What does Christmas mean to me?
Christmas means, well obviously if you're celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, if you want to be religious about it, if you don't want to, it's just family getting together.
Being with the love, the ones you love.
That's just the greatest thing ever.
That's Christmas to me.
Family together, time to reminisce, and be together.
Well, pogroms... I'm just joking.
Oh yeah, also my neighbors and I, it's our next level.
They are wild.
We have a neighbor down the block, and this person goes, actually there's sort of a Christian-Jewish war happening.
There are two houses right next door to each other and one has a bunch of Hanukkah lights
that I'm sure were put up just in direct opposition to the Christmas lights.
The Christmas lights are overwhelming.
I mean, it looks like a state fair.
And so I think there's a Jewish family who lives next door and they're like, we're going
to put a bunch of blue and white lights.
The fight is on.
What does Christmas mean to me now?
It probably means what it's always meant to me, except now I have a better understanding
When I was a kid, obviously Christmas meant great gifts and new clothes and a bunch of food.
What it means to me now, it's a reminder of God, of Jesus.
Christmas is a great time to commune, celebrate, fellowship, engage with your family, and to remind yourself that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and his greatest gift to us was family.
Hey, let me say to all of you people who got stuck with those horrible Crowder mugs, Merry Christmas.
You know, I actually love Steven and, you know, when he slides down your chimney, don't open fire on him.
Just call the police.
From the Knowles family to all of you out there in Mug Club, I wish you a very Merry Christmas.
Hey, Merry Christmas, Steven.
Merry Christmas, everybody.
Merry Christmas!
From the Hoss twins, ho, ho, ho, ho!
Merry Christmas, Mug Club.
Merry Christmas, Mug Club, and make sure to give a daily wire subscription to all those who love you so that I can, you know, have some more shekels.
We love you, Mug Club.
Have a great Christmas.
🎵 Okay, no more interruptions!
That's rude, it makes the naughty list.
And why is Santa's hat so... My forehead, it looks like... Looks like Santa Cristina Ricci, doesn't it?
Let's deliver some Christmas joy.
It's time for my favorite part in Crowder Gives Back.
Oh, oh, oh, I like that, uh, that stinger.
That's a lot better than Gerald Knows stuff.
And if you all go out to MugClubForever.com, of course you know you can expect more great content in the future, but you already knew that.
This doesn't happen if not for you.
So first we have Mika and Kara Muir and their children Josh, Kaitlyn, Samuel, Isabella,
and Gracie with a very special story I'm sure will touch your hearts.
Oh, there they are!
There's the Muir family!
Oh boy, can everyone... Sorry, sometimes this has changed with the, you know, the pandemic.
Some people want me to do this with the Skyper FaceTime.
Can you all see me?
Oh, I can see all of you!
Wow, look at that!
Look at that troop!
There's so many of you!
Okay, now hold on, don't tell me... We know the mom and dad, that's Mika and Kara, but what really matters is we have... Let's see, I know...
You, if I point, you may not know who I'm- Here, let me take off my gloves. It gets a little clammy in
here anyways.
We have...
Samuel?
Samuel, raise your- Oh! Very-
Oh, Samuel's already a comedian, I see.
How are you, Samuel? You- You enjoying your Christmas season thus far?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Well, you can just call me Santa, but I, for your parents... Good job, Mika and Kara.
Good job with the manners.
I appreciate that.
You know, not all little boys have good manners.
Sometimes they, uh... They actually pull pranks on Santa.
I ripped my pants last year.
Well, I'm glad you had a laugh.
My dry cleaner didn't.
Now we have, uh, where's Josh?
Josh?
I'm looking here.
Josh, right there.
Is that okay?
That's Josh, so that must mean that you, Isabella, right there, and right there.
Hi, Isabella!
How are you, sweetheart?
Good.
Good?
Are you having a good Christmas?
Yes?
Okay, good.
Look at you, I see you.
You're just such a gorgeous family.
And then, we must have, we have little, we have Gracie.
Is that right?
Oh, Gracie!
We have Gracie.
Okay, and then you must be, last but certainly not least, we have Caitlyn, right?
Is that Caitlyn?
Oh, you, you look younger than Caitlyn if I'm not mistaken.
Are you, don't, don't tell me you're 11 now, right?
Well, see, on my screen right now, you're so small that you look about three years old.
Santa's used to using analog technology more, but I'm so glad to see all of you.
What a wonderful family.
Now, do you know that your parents actually specifically called Santa this year and said, oh, my family would love to get on a call with Santa.
Could you please do it?
So they really think a whole lot of you children.
You should Make sure to be good.
Thank your mom and dad for me, can you?
Thank you, mom and dad.
Thank you, mom.
You're welcome.
Good, and that's always mom and dad.
We don't do the first name basis with our parents, right?
Mika and Kara, how are you doing this year?
Thank you so much for reaching out and making this happen.
Thank you, guys.
We're doing good.
Thank you for calling us.
Absolutely.
I know that you've had, obviously, some tougher times here this last year, but Gracie, I'm so glad to see that Gracie is back home.
I know Gracie spent some time, right, in the hospital.
Yes, sir.
And it seems like Gracie's doing better.
She was doing it, I believe, surgery in Dallas, but she's home for Christmas this year.
She is.
We spent four months in the hospital, but she's doing well.
Oh, that's fantastic.
I'm so glad to see that.
Is everyone there?
You all helping mom and dad with Gracie right now?
Yes, sir.
Are you helping?
Yes, sir.
Josh, you're the next man of the house.
Are you helping with Gracie, helping mom and dad?
Because I know it's not easy.
Oh, look at that.
Samuel says no.
Samuel, is Josh abdicating his duties?
No, is he?
He's a pretty good big brother, Josh.
Yes.
Oh, Samuel, come on now.
Remember, you have to tell the truth.
Otherwise, we have that naughty list.
We don't really do coal anymore.
It's more so, you know, fracking-based these days, but... The principle's the same.
Alright, I want to talk with each one of you.
First, let's go, I guess, from oldest to youngest, because sometimes that's how it went.
Older siblings, sometimes they get bored, because they're used to a screen everywhere.
So Josh, are you still playing basketball?
I remember you used to be very into it.
Yes.
Basketball?
Well, let me ask you, Josh.
Are you more into basketball?
I also understand from your parents that you're very into science experiments.
Is that true?
Yes, sir.
Yes?
Okay, so if you have to pick your career, do you think you're going to be a future LeBron or whatever good version of Fauci is?
Basketball.
Basketball, okay.
So, aside from I know you like basketball, and I know that, you know, science, there's a lot we can do with that.
Very important that we have scientists here in this country, and engineers, there's no country without them, but you're still, right, like to have some fun?
Is the Nerf guns, things like that still the types of things you like to play with?
Okay, well, that's something.
You know, Santa was... Back in the day, we didn't have all of these new toys, so it was pretty much baseball bats, hula hoops.
We didn't have Nerf guns.
We had cork guns.
Do you know what cork guns were?
Do you know what that is?
There you go.
It's pretty much like a Nerf gun, only, you know, from your parents' empty wine bottles.
You'd put it in, there'd be some pressure, and you'd shoot it out, and we all had fun, but it would not pass safety standards these days.
So, let me ask you.
Josh, what is it that you most want for Christmas this year?
Not just presents, because Santa, I think, will have you covered if you stay a good boy, but what do you want to do here with your family?
What do you want to see happen for the Muir family?
You're the man of the house.
I want to see Gracie get better.
You want to see Gracie get better.
Do you hear that, Mom and Dad?
That's a- that's not just a nice son.
That's a- that's what we call a good man, Josh.
And you know what?
She's going to do better.
The more that you put in effort and help your mom and dad and take care of all your brothers and sisters, that makes their life a lot easier.
And I tell you, I've been following what has been going on with Gracie and it- Yes, sir.
break Santa's heart but it fills Santa's heart with joy to know that she's back
home for the holidays so do you promise you'll you'll keep helping your mom and
dad and take care of everyone not just Gracie because that helps her too
absolutely okay well Josh thank you is there anything else you'd like to ask
Santa before I move on are you sure you don't have to be so formal right we can
be on you couldn't be on a first-name basis with Santa just not mom and dad
Well, Josh, if you can think of anything, I'll go back, okay?
Now I think, I believe, it's hard for me to see again, a small screen, but Caitlin, right?
Oh, Caitlin, I can see you right there.
Now, Caitlin, do you have, is that your natural hair color, or do you put streaks in your hair?
Do you dye it at all?
Yes, sir, I dye it.
Oh, okay.
Do you do that yourself, or does mommy help?
I go get my hair done.
Oh, okay, you do- you outsource.
We do some of that at the North Pole sometimes.
The elves can only work so many hours a day, so if you find a good person, it's worth its weight in gold.
And do you still really like doing that, though?
I know you like doing hair, makeup, and I can see you like wearing stylish clothes.
Is that still really something you're into?
Okay, well, look, that's something that I have to tell you.
All little girls, almost all the requests are for things like hair straighteners, or hair dye, or makeup, and the only thing that I ask is whatever it is that Santa gets for you this year, assuming you've been good, is that you make sure Mommy and Daddy are supervising, because sometimes there can be harsh chemical burns.
Do you promise that to Santa, Caitlin?
Yes, sir.
A bike.
And Caitlin, tell me, tell me specifically, what is it that you would like from Santa this year?
A bike.
A bicycle, okay. Are we talking mountain bike, speed bike?
Are you a hipster who likes one of those fixies with a large front wheel?
An electric bike.
Ooh, everything's going electric!
Okay, so we have a bicycle.
What else would you like, Caitlin?
What else are you hoping for this Christmas?
She wants a vanity mirror.
Ooh, a vanity mirror.
And hair things.
Um, I want wet.
I want a nice wet thing.
I didn't hear what you... Hold on a second.
Good children don't interrupt, but I understand it's very exciting at Christmas.
You know, vanity mirrors... Santa avoids them.
Yes.
Maybe two, three hundred years ago, but now sometimes I look at them and I don't recognize the face anymore, so I mostly just try and focus on the laughter I bring to others.
All right.
Let's, uh, move on down.
Now, I heard you just start speaking, so Samuel, you've been very patient, but Samuel, are you okay if I speak with Isabella first?
Because I know she's... she's... she's champing at the bit.
All right.
Thank you, Samuel.
That's a gentleman.
Okay.
Isabella, I couldn't hear you so well.
Well, what was that you just said?
I want a wet doggy.
A wet doggy.
You...
Did you just say you want a doggy?
Bye.
The Grinch dog.
She wants Max from The Grinch.
Oh!
Well, maybe you mean a dog like Max because that would be theft.
I think you mean a dog like Max, right?
We just have to have a stuffed dog.
Oh!
You want a st... You want a stuffed dog!
Oh, well, Santa, you know, before I became Santa, I was a taxidermist.
That's right up my alley.
That's no problem at all.
So, Isabella, okay, you want a stuffed dog.
I understand you like stuffed animals of all different kinds, right?
Is that... Okay, so, what, what, maybe things like a, like, like stuffed bunnies?
Uh, maybe... I know there are... I like bunnies.
You like bunnies?
You also want some clothes, right?
Maybe some kind of... Maybe some kind of ankle boots, maybe?
Yes?
I don't know if you can see this here, but Santa wears these old ankle boots and they're kind of... Ooh, but the only problem is sometimes Santa, if he gets on a flight for too long, gets thrombosis.
So, I know all about boots.
What about things like, I know you like things like kinetic sand and toys like that too.
Or is it just, is that something you also like to play with?
I like, I want green sand.
You want green sand?
Okay, well that's not too hard to come by.
I think that's something maybe we can do.
Now have you been a, have you been a good girl this year?
Yeah?
How have you been good?
Have you been helping out the family?
Okay.
Mom and Dad, can you confirm that?
Oh, yes.
Her and Gracie are best friends.
She helps with Gracie all the time.
Oh, that's wonderful.
I'm so happy to hear it.
Okay.
Well, Isabella, I'm going to speak with your brother now who's been waiting.
I know how hard it is to be patient.
Samuel!
There he is!
Samuel!
I know... Oh, don't tell me...
Are you?
You're eight years old now, right?
Okay, and Sam, do you still really like... because keep in mind sometimes Santa has to keep track of billions of children across the world, but I have a pretty good memory.
That's one of... call it a gift that I have.
You still love building things, but also taking them down.
Is that something you're still really into?
You know what's really cool now?
You can have these drones that you can build yourself sometimes, and then you can fly them.
Have you, have you, have you used a drone?
Is that something you still want?
Yes.
Okay, so you haven't used them, but you, you want a drone, right?
That's on your list.
I do have, I don't have it written down, I have it right up in the old egg noggin.
Now, like your brother, do you, would you like maybe, because your brother, right, he had someone to play with, some Nerf guns too, so maybe you could play together?
Okay, so we have a drone.
We have Nerf guns.
I know you all need clothes.
Everyone needs clothes, but that's not always fun.
That's kind of a given.
What else, Samuel?
What else would you like to ask Santa for this year?
A motorcycle?
A motorcycle!
Well, that's going to be a hard pass until you're of legal age.
That's one of those things I... I... I... You know, Santa... Santa has his own motorcycle.
I don't know if you know that.
Again, the sleigh gets all the press, but I use sled dogs and motorcycles.
No SUV.
No cage for Santa.
So, when you get older, that's a discussion with your parents, though.
You have to take... If you ever ride a motorcycle, okay, do you promise you'll wear your helmet, and only if your parents say that you can?
You promise?
Oh boy!
Ooh!
Isabella was... What were you doing there?
You looked like you were going to grab your brother.
Was that a hug?
That better have been a hug!
What else, Samuel?
Is there anything else specific you would really like for Christmas this year beyond what we've covered?
Because I think that's something that's certainly in my wheelhouse.
What do you think Gracie would like this year, Samuel?
Is she still playing with dolls and toy animals?
Things like that?
Yes.
Okay.
I'll do this.
I, um, make her better.
You make, you make Gracie's bed?
I make her better, like where she's not sick.
Oh, you want Gracie to get better so she's not sick.
I know sometimes it's very, very hard to deal with that.
We've had that, you know, sometimes here in the Claus family.
And it's very important that you help your parents, and of course I'm sure you say your prayers.
Gracie's been making a lot of progress.
I've been following it Yes, sir.
And I think she's going to continue getting better.
But it's very, very important for everyone here, okay, Kaitlyn, Isabella, Josh, Samuel,
that you always keep up hope and you always stick together as a family.
Right?
Everyone understand that?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Okay, that's very important because toys and gifts and yes, Santa's going to come to your
house this year and I think you'll be very happy.
But nothing replaces the importance of family and helping each other.
You never get another one.
So make sure you do that for each other, and that's going to help Gracie as much as possible, okay?
Okay, alright, well, little ones, thank you so much, and Gracie, you get better, I don't, can Gracie talk with Santa?
Is Gracie tired?
If Gracie's tired, I don't want to, Well, she's tired and nervous.
Okay.
Yeah, she's super shy.
Well, Gracie's been through a lot, so okay.
Everyone, look, do me one favor here.
The little ones, I need to speak with your parents.
But before you leave, I want to see all of you give Gracie either a hug or a kiss.
And if you're good here for the rest of the year, Santa's going to be hopefully seeing some happy faces Christmas morning.
Give her a big kiss.
Oh, there you go.
Samuel, get in there!
Everyone, come on, get some of that kissing Gracie sister action.
Good.
Hugs work, too.
Bye, Samuel.
Bye, Josh.
Bye, Samuel.
Oh, look, he's got the... Oh, I remember when I lost my teeth.
That was half a millennia ago.
Bye, Caitlin.
Bye, Isabella.
Thank you so much.
Oh, mom and dad, this is a special year.
You let me know when the little ones are out so we can talk just us adults.
We're good.
All right.
We are good.
All right.
Oh, well, thank you so much for reaching out, Mr. and Mrs.
Muir.
Now, Mika, I understand that you, obviously, you're a pastor.
That's what you do, right?
Yes, sir.
And you also teach on the side.
I did, until she went to the hospital and I had to retire.
Right, and can you, from what I understand, uh, Gracie, you know, Santa knows this with a lot of children, uh, had a congenital, uh, issue, um, and, uh, this also, of course, you foster many children, and this may have been, you know, something that happened that could have been lineal, uh, passed down to her, correct?
Right, and she went to Dallas, Texas for heart surgery.
It didn't quite go as planned, but she's been actually improving, and she's... Just this weekend, she came home with you?
Yes.
Okay.
Yes.
Yeah, she... Her heart's on the wrong side of her chest, so it's called extracardia.
And it's split backwards, and so she has other things going on, but...
So yeah, the surgery was a normal routine.
Ideally should have been our last open heart surgery, but it didn't go well.
So they had to take that down.
Did a second heart surgery, kidneys, liver shut down.
We've had other issues with lungs, pulmonary.
We discovered she has pulmonary hypertension.
She's on a medicine that is basically keeping her alive.
And so it's through a pump.
So we're real careful with that, obviously.
But she's going to continue getting better and eventually will have a heart transplant.
Oh, absolutely, and I know how difficult that can be, but boy, am I glad to know that she's in your care, because we both know, and for people who are out there, that, you know, there are a lot of children who need foster care and need homes for them, and so many people don't open them up, and for you to open your home and your hearts and help her, that means the world to me.
That's every bit as much as what Santa can do, so thank you so much, I appreciate that.
And I know so you know I think you've already spoken with Santa's elves and Santa's been following what's been going on with Gracie and I know that you know this is why I wanted to make sure the children are out that Santa's going to take care of the Christmas lists this year.
You both know that right?
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Well, I thank you for reaching out, you know, and I want you to... There's also one more surprise that we have for you.
And that's because I know how difficult it can be, especially when one of you, you know, you can't work.
Healthcare can be so difficult and expensive.
And so I'd like to bring in my elf, Riley, here for you right now.
Here Santa has a surprise for you.
You may not be able to see it.
Elves, can they see this yet?
No, I'll bring this in here.
Santa is going to be sending you a check for $50,000 to help with Gracie and anything that you need here for the rest of the year.
And I promise you, this is symbolic, but it's right as rain, I can wire it, and Santa's never had a check bounce.
Oh, Cara.
Thank you so much, Riley.
Cara.
Mika.
We appreciate you so much and I wish that I could do all of the things for you.
I wish I could fix it, but there's only so much I can do and I sincerely, I pray for you and I really hope this helps.
And we love you here so much.
It means so much that you've reached out and how much you care about your family and family that you've taken in.
I hope people who see this can just use you as an example.
Thank you so much.
What an unbelievable blessing.
Oh, it's, I tell you what, the blessing is all mine.
All year, you know, the world can be difficult and an ugly place, and everyone, everyone goes through difficulties, everyone has their own hurdles, but your story really spoke to us here at the North Pole, and I promise we're going to send that over to you, and if there's anything else that that we can do to help with, please let us know.
If you have a message to people watching, Kara, thank you, that's your... I hope those are tears of joy and not the fact that Santa can't just cash out six figures, I can't take a second mortgage.
They're definitely tears of joy.
I mean, the Lord has blessed us and allowed us to take care of his children.
He's given us children that, well, we never thought we'd even have, so we have ten.
Um, and, um, I've had many more through the, you know, we have five biological children.
We've adopted five and, but foster care is huge and a huge, um, really special to our heart.
And so, but y'all's blessing, y'all's gift is a huge blessing to our family.
Well, thank you so much.
You've been a blessing to us, and I think you'll be a blessing to more people out there than you know, hearing your story and seeing what a wonderful family you have.
I know how hard it can be going through these times, but the hope that you have and the love you have for your family is, well, that's really what Christmas is about, right?
We have the original example.
For God so loved the world, he sent his only son.
It was a dark time.
And now we all have hope in Him.
And I do think that you will also give people hope when they hear your story.
And I just am so grateful to have played even just a small part in it.
Thank you.
God is definitely using you to bless our family.
We're certainly thankful.
More than you can ever imagine.
God will work miracle after miracle Well, I'll tell you this, they're not showing anyone else here because there's not a dry eye in the house.
Everyone is so happy for you.
We do have to get going for another family, Mika and Kara, and the only thing is that the check does come with a drug testing policy, so be sure to be careful with that.
Thank you both of yours.
Thank you so much.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, and God bless you.
Keep us posted.
Merry Christmas.
How does that keep getting hotter?
I guess that's a little bit of Christmas magic, and I thank you from the back of my scalded heart.
Now, not many people know this, but every year Santa Crowder actually makes a few house calls before Christmas Eve.
And what some would call a co-sierre Santa.
And this year I visited Prestonwood Pregnancy Center and Ca... Casa!
Casa.
That's Spanish.
Santa should know this.
We're multilingual at the North Pole.
Prestonwood Pregnancy Center and Casa Collin County.
And because I'm busy, I actually sent some elves out to deliver some Christmas cheer in the form of tens of thousands of dollars of cold, hard cash.
That's not... I don't mean Santa cash.
And it's not like Kohl's, where I mark something up by 25% to mark it down by 10% and tell you that you've saved 70%.
This is real cash delivered hand-by-elves to the charities.
That phrase doesn't make... Just enjoy it.
Alright, we are out here at the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center with a staff nurse named Whitney, correct?
Yes.
Alright, so Whitney, if you don't mind, could you just tell us a little bit about what your organization does for the community?
Sure.
We are a pregnancy center and we help women in crisis.
We have free pregnancy tests, free sonograms, we do STD testing, we have counselors on site, we have a resource center across the street as well, so it just can help anybody who is in a crisis pregnancy to know what all their options are and to help them make a life-affirming decision.
So I don't know if you're aware, but Santa has also got wind of your organization and the good that you do for the community.
So he sent us out and actually sent a couple of his elves out, and we're gonna present you with something that hopefully you can use during the Christmas season.
Oh my goodness!
Yes!
Wow!
Thank you guys.
That is incredible.
Yeah, so that is a check for $75,000 that we thought you all could put to excellent use.
That's amazing.
That is a real signature.
You have no idea the number of women that you're going to bless with this.
So thank you so much.
It's all from the big dog.
It's all from the big dog.
Well, Santa, thank you.
Where could people reach out to you if they want to find your services?
What's a good website?
Sure.
Prestonwoodpregnancy.org.
Thank you once again.
We appreciate it.
Merry Christmas!
Alright, we are here with Teresa, Brooke, and Trish, who is the CEO of CASA of Collin County.
And if you could, could you just tell our viewers a little bit about what your organization stands for and what you do as a part of the community?
Sure.
So we are CASA of Collin County and we are the Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Basically what that is, is we train volunteers like yourself in the community to represent the children who have been abused or neglected and removed from their homes and placed into the child welfare system.
Well, that sounds like a really worthwhile cause, and we're not the only ones that think so.
Santa actually thought the same thing.
Unfortunately, he's really busy, as you can imagine, back at the North Pole, but he sent us out because he's heard so many nice things about your organization that he wanted to help in any way he could.
So actually, if you don't mind, our elves brought a little something from Santa, if we could present that to you now.
Oh my gosh!
Oh my gosh, that is amazing!
So we hope that you can use that.
We absolutely can.
You have no idea how much this means to not just us, but to the community and the children that we serve.
This will go so far in allowing us to serve every single child that is affected by abuse and neglect in our county.
So thank you so much.
Oh my gosh, I'm speechless.
That doesn't really happen.
If there's anybody that wants to become part of this organization or wants to get in touch with your organization, where can they find you or should they reach out?
So you can go to www.casaofcollincounty.org.
You can find out what it means to be an advocate, how you can become an advocate, or how else you can help out.
Merry Christmas!
Oh, I'm glad that was a pre-tape, because it is hard to keep it together, of course.
Everyone is touched here this time of year, but of course, if you saw how I really felt and I lost it, I'd be unprofessional and Mrs. Claus would tell me I need to grow a spine.
So finally, we actually have a very special family, and that's the Sharps,
Mama and Papa Tasha and Nick, and their children, Samuel, Jojo, and Billy,
and a very important story about one of their children, Benny.
♪♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I hear a lot of little voices!
Oh!
Oh, there they are!
All the way from, oh, from Maryland.
Is that where, is that where I'm, I'm talking with you right now?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
I know.
Can everyone say, give me your family name.
Everyone, I'm going to, I'm taking off my glove.
What's, what's your family name?
What's our last name, bud?
Sharps.
The Sharps!
And you're a Sharp one, too.
Okay, so you must be... I know Mom and Dad.
That's Nick and Tasha.
Nick, you know, that's my name.
People know me as Santa Claus.
But do you know the story of Saint Nicholas?
You do?
Oh, smart little ones!
So we have Nicholas.
For the purposes of this interview, I'm going with Nicholas.
Tasha.
And you must be Samuel, if I rem... Is that right, Samuel?
Now, do you prefer... You still go by Sammy?
Yes okay well I know you know on my list I have your name but then I have a nickname that's we still call them nicknames which is we don't go Nicholas names with Sammy then we have Jonathan if I'm okay we have Jonathan and it's hard for me to see in a little screen all this there's little Billy There's little Billy!
Look at little Billy!
Oh, Billy seems like... Billy's hungry, huh?
Always.
Oh, well I hope... Look, I know Billy's a growing girl, but make sure you save some of that for Santa on Christmas night.
Sammy, are you going to be the one to leave out the milk and cookies for Santa?
We can do that.
Would you do that?
Would you do that for me, Sammy?
Leave some milk and cookies?
Yep.
Let me ask you, have you all been good boys and girls this year?
Have you been good?
Yeah.
I don't know.
Let me ask mommy and daddy, Nicholas and Tasha, have they been good children this year?
They've been pretty good.
Mostly.
Mostly pretty good.
I don't know.
That's sort of... That's rolling the dice.
We don't want to do that.
It's too close to Christmas.
Tell me, Nicholas and Tasha, how have they been good?
Have they been helping you out?
They are very big helpers, absolutely.
Okay.
How do they help out?
Sammy and Jonathan, how do you help Mommy and Daddy out around the house?
Do you pick up messes?
Yeah.
No.
I pick up messes.
You help pick up messes, okay.
Do you put your toys away when you're done playing with them?
Yeah.
Oh, that doesn't sound like you're too sure.
That's a rule.
That's what we call a hard and fast rule here at the North Pole.
We had an accident with Blitzen and he hurt his back.
He tripped on a choo-choo train.
So it's very important that you pick up your toys, okay?
All right, now, look, I'm going to talk with all of you.
As we do this now, things have changed.
Oh, what was that?
We're not sure.
Oh, well, you know what?
That's the same thing here.
We have elves from all over the world.
I have one.
I have, well, actually quite a few who are Mayan because they're looking for work, but I don't understand a word they're saying.
But my word, the hot chocolate is fantastic, if a little spicy.
So Sammy, I'm going to speak with you first.
You're six years old now, right?
Yep.
And you know what, Sammy?
I've actually been hearing a lot about you.
Do you know who's been talking to me about you?
It's okay, it's all good.
Actually, it's your instructor, your coach.
He says that you're actually doing really well in jiu-jitsu.
Is that something you're really excited about?
Yeah.
How many times a week are you doing jiu-jitsu, Samuel?
Two.
Two times a week!
Oh boy, that's great!
That's great to get into something like that, because you can protect yourself, and more importantly, you can protect your little brother and your little sister.
Are you- are you good?
Do you protect your little brother and sister?
Yeah.
You keep them safe?
Well, that's good.
We don't want you to be a bully, so let me ask you.
Samuel.
Samuel, what's- what's your favorite move in jujitsu?
Do you have one that you use a lot?
Take down.
Take down?
Take down!
Oh!
Boy, I tell you what, you just do like a blast double take down, is that what you do?
Is that?
No.
You say no, he says yes.
You know, we had actually, we have an elf here who actually, he made all American!
Wow.
Yes, but it was in the 127 pound division, so after his collegiate career, well, this was the only place for him.
So, let me ask you, Sammy, What do you want for Christmas this year?
Do you still like, you still like building things online?
Are you still into Minecraft and then maybe in real life with some Legos?
Yeah.
Yes, okay.
What, what else are you looking for for Christmas?
I, I remember you, did you, did you write Santa this year or did you just do it with your, your parents reached out to me?
But I, I don't remember if you wrote me a letter by snail mail.
Have you written Santa a letter yet?
Not yet.
Okay.
Well, you know, everything's digital these days.
I remember somewhere something about GraviTrax Pro Marble Run Toys.
Is that about right?
You know, it's okay, your dad's usually in charge, but right now the big man's in town.
Yeah.
You don't need to look to him for answers, you can tell me directly.
This is one of those times you can speak to Santa, and Nicholas says he can do his own thing.
So, what else is it that you want for Christmas this year?
Pokemon cards.
Pokemon cards.
You know, those were very popular a while back, then they went away, and now they're back!
I really wish I would have invested, but Santa put a lot of his into Beanie Babies, so... I'm really hoping for a comeback with Pogs, so... Pikachu... Pikachu and GraviTrax it is then, but you've been a good boy, you think that you really... You've really earned your keep for that, these Pokemon cards and the GraviTrax.
Okay, I can't tell who's saying- I think that's- that's Jonathan saying yes.
Am I hearing that right?
Yeah.
All right.
Now let me ask, hey, can Jonathan talk with Santa, or is it going to be a lot of gobbledygook?
He can talk a little bit, but it'll be a lot of translating.
Okay.
Well, you know what?
Hey, hey, Sammy.
Sammy, this is a chance to prove how much you help mom and dad.
Can you help me talk with Jonathan?
You can help me talk with Jojo?
Tell me, what does your little brother Jojo, what does he like to do?
What kind of toys does Jojo like?
Um, Hot Wheels tracks.
Oh, Hot Wheels.
Anything?
He likes wrestling with you too, right?
Anything that moves.
He's into action, right?
Yeah.
Okay.
Now, what about cooking or play food?
Is he still enjoying doing that?
Okay.
And Jojo.
Jojo, what else would you like?
Does this maybe ring a bell?
If I say the word and this is something you want, just say anything.
Nerf gun.
Would you like a nerf gun for Christmas?
Oh, well then I guess it's just going to be Tinker Toys.
What do you think, Sammy?
Do you think your little brother would like a nerf gun?
Okay, and he might like something like a marble rush set too, and maybe some things to play kitchen with?
Yes.
Okay, alright.
Well, if you all think you've been good enough, I think that Santa can maybe... Oh no!
He speaks!
Mom, Dad, what do you think Jonathan is most... It changes so fast when they're that age.
Yeah.
He definitely loves his cars and monster trucks from Hot Wheels.
That is probably number one for him.
Oh, so he's all boy!
No, for sure.
100%.
100% boy!
You know what it used to be?
We used to have toys for boys, toys for girls, and... Well, it's still toys for boys, toys for girls.
I don't know how they do it over in Europe, but we still do boy-girl here at the North Pole, and I think that Hot Wheels are a wonderful toy.
Let me ask now, we have Billy over there, so Sammy, Santa's really relying on you since you're the one who's able to talk more.
What do you think Billy would like for Christmas?
What does she do most?
She's a girl.
Could it be something like dolls, cradles, maybe a princess castle?
Maybe something like that?
You can answer whatever you think, bud.
Well, you know what?
It's not really fair.
Santa put a young boy on the spot as tribute for what a little girl would want, and they haven't a clue.
I really only know because I have a list!
Alright, so look, we have Billy, we have Jojo, we have Sammy, and I'm going to be asking, of course, your mom and dad.
We have Nicholas, and you're there in Maryland, right?
Yep.
Nicholas and Tasha, would you say that these, these children are, uh, they're good enough that maybe these lists should be, uh, something that Santa could provide for them on Christmas Day?
Whoa!
I just, I thought you're, oh, look at that!
Look at Jonathan, I thought your father's, I thought, I thought Nicholas's head was a bear for a moment.
Oh, what is that?
Is that a bear or is that, is that a rabbit?
It's a pig.
Oh, it's a pig.
They'll eat anything, you know.
So will me.
Yes, well, so will Mrs. Claus, but we won't talk about that right now because a lot of people will see this.
Alright, I'm going to talk with Mommy and Daddy for a bit.
Do you want to talk here, adults, or do you want, however you want, you little ones here, or do we want grown-up time?
We can have some grown-up time.
They're going to go play together, I think.
Okay, alright.
So, Sammy, can you watch your little brother while I talk with Mommy and Daddy?
Alright, okay.
Let me see you take care of him now.
Show Santa how you take care of your brother.
Oh, there we go.
Oh, look at that.
Bye, two little ones.
Be good.
Santa's going to be visiting you this Christmas if you're good.
Bye, Sammy!
Bye Sammy!
Take care of your brother!
Oh, they seem, I know that Jonathan, they're younger, not able to talk as much, but Sammy really does seem like a wonderful boy.
He is.
And I know that, I know you reached out here, the North Pole this year, where Santa gives back, and you had a story that really Really touched Santa deeply, and I didn't want to, of course, with the little ones, bring anything up that you weren't comfortable with, but I know you wanted to share your story that you went through here these last couple of years.
Yeah.
With our son, Benny, we had Benny about two years after we had Sammy, so they were pretty close in age.
And when I was about 20-some weeks pregnant with him, we were supposed to be finding out if he was a boy or a girl, and we found out that he had very significant heart defects.
And at first we didn't really know the extent of those.
We had to be sent to a better hospital, more equipped for imaging and things like that.
So once we kind of got an idea of just how extensive his heart defects were, you know, they weren't sure that he would even make it to birth.
And, you know, I do have a lot of respect for WVU Hospital in Morgantown.
They did take very good care of us.
The one, the one qualm I have, and it's not on anyone in particular, but, you know, we made it pretty clear Outright that even if Benny wasn't going to have long with us, we, we had no interest in abortion, just to put it plain.
Um, and despite that, we, we still about every other visit, I would have to field offers for referrals of that kind and even got a phone call.
At least one time from a clinic farther out in West Virginia, saying that they had received our information and wanted to set up an appointment, and I had to tell them that we're really not interested.
That was when Mama Bear kicked in.
Oh yeah, for sure.
I think they finally got the point after a while, and it stopped after that.
We really wouldn't spend as much time with him as we had with him.
We weren't going to cut that time short for any reason.
But he did, he made it to birth, and he was actually our biggest baby.
Oh boy!
How big was Benny when he was born?
He was still only six pounds, but he was the biggest out of all of them.
Okay.
And he had to be intubated at birth, like with breathing tube.
But he did well.
I mean, he had about a week of adjusting.
They weren't sure whether his pulmonary artery would shrink or get too big, or which way it might go, because babies' hearts are already wild and crazy and do all kinds of things when they're born.
If I remember, Benny had his first open heart surgery.
Was he about a week old?
Yes.
Okay, that's got to be very scary for parents.
I can't imagine anything more terrifying.
It was hard.
It was definitely very hard.
We did really love the surgeon that we had at WVU.
He's since moved on to a different hospital, but he was a really great guy just in general.
But it was very nerve-wracking, very terrifying.
But he, he did a good job.
He made it through and recovery, you know, other than weaning him off of all of the pain medications.
He really, he really just did great.
Um, about a month after that, we got to go home.
Um, which apparently isn't normal.
Usually they still like to keep them until they have their first actual, like, Reconstructive heart surgery where they repair things.
Sure, yeah, that's usually how they do it.
So that's, you're fortunate to be able to do that.
Yeah, we're very blessed to have that time at home as a family.
And then at three months old, it was time for him to have his next surgery, which was more of a reconstructive surgery.
And, you know, going into it, even though he'd already had one before, it never It never gets easier.
It's still terrifying regardless.
And after he came out of that surgery, he was doing okay for a couple of days.
And then all at once, his body started to reject the new layout of his heart and he caught rhinovirus, which is a common cold.
At the same time.
Um, so he, he rapidly deteriorated to the point that they had to fly him to a hospital in Pittsburgh where they were better equipped to put him on ECMO.
Um, which basically does all of his body functions for him, beating heart, breathing, oxygenating blood, things like that.
Um, and they, I honestly not sure how many separate surgeries they went in.
To try to repair what they could and get him off of ECMO.
Every day that a person is, it's a blessing and a curse because ECMO allows the body to rest and recover, but every day that someone's on ECMO, the likelihood of them coming off decreases.
Right, it's a difficult decision to make sometimes when you're in that situation.
I know it's never an easy one.
Yeah, and he went through countless surgeries to try to get him off of it.
I think she dropped her bottle there.
I think she was looking.
Is that in front of you, Nicholas?
Oh, there you go.
Is that what she's looking for right there?
Oh, I think she's just looking for stuff to get into.
Oh, well, that's true.
It's just pretty much when they're that young, Santa knows it's making sure that they stay alive.
That's pretty much what you have to do.
Even Santa's little ones, when he had them, every outlet had to be... Back then we had to use tack.
We didn't have all the polymer plugs.
It was just, you know, you rolled the dice with the world the way it was.
So Benny, you went through this with Benny and I know that it ended up getting obviously more serious.
Oh yeah, so this surgery in particular, he actually did, he had a miracle.
I mean his surgeon at one point said that he needed a miracle and he got it.
He actually survived that surgery and eventually came off ECMO and he had suffered two strokes while on ECMO and Some other kind of collateral issues from it, but he he spent a total of seven months in the hospital with him, obviously.
But he did recover from that, and I think it took about a year in total for him to fully recover from all of that.
But once he was able to come home, I mean, he was just all eyes for Sammy.
And as soon as he could keep up with his brother, he was just attached to him.
Yeah, I can imagine.
And that's one of those things.
They always want to be just like big brother, but sometimes you have to take it easy when you're recovering.
That's the hardest thing with little ones.
Oh, yeah.
And Benny was...
Spry.
Once he realized he could do something, trying to tell him not to was not an option, honestly.
So yeah, he kept up with his big brother with no problem.
And, you know, we had a good couple years of him just being a kid.
And, you know, we had lots of doctor's appointments and checkups to just see how he was doing and whatnot.
They would broach the topic that he was going to need another surgery at some point sooner rather than later, and we tried to push that as far as we could.
One, because we wanted him to recover as much as possible from the last one, but also because we didn't know that surgery was the right choice because of how the last one had gone.
So we just got as much time as we could with him, and it was a beautiful, joyful few years.
He was the most happy little kid you'd ever meet, regardless of what he was going through that day.
And he touched a lot of people's lives just because of how happy he was just to be alive and be playing with his brother.
The strength in that kid is more than any person, any adult I've ever met.
And as summer came around in, was it 2019 or 2020?
2021.
Okay.
Okay.
In 2021, summer came around and, you know, he started wanting to come inside a lot sooner.
And I mean, he, he could spend all day outside, even if it was zero degrees out, you know, he, He loved being outside, but at that point he started wanting to come in even after five or ten minutes.
He would spend all day on the couch kind of just snuggling up and it just wasn't like him at all.
And we noticed as time went on that he got bluer and bluer because his heart wasn't pumping as much oxygen to the rest of his body.
So we knew that we had to make a choice to either spend the time we had with him And not pursue surgery or to give him this chance for better quality and longer life with the surgery.
We did everything we could to try to make sure that we were making the right choice and the right choice for him, not selfishly choosing for, you know, our own desires.
Obviously, we want him with us as long as possible.
Of course.
We got second opinions from other hospitals to see what they thought, and they agreed that this surgery was doable, probably his best option, and it just wasn't.
They went to do the surgery, and they didn't actually get to do the surgery they wanted to do.
They wanted to actually create two ventricles from his single ventricle, but they couldn't do it because his aorta just didn't allow it.
Um, so they ended up redoing the same surgery that he had previously that didn't go well.
Um, and again, right away, his body just rejected it.
Um, and they, they did try to again, repair it like they did last time.
But at that point, his body had been through so much that there was really no catching up with the damage that had been done.
So after a few weeks, Just everything started shutting down one by one.
He ended up on dialysis and then they couldn't keep him on dialysis because it would leak just because his body was so tired it couldn't even handle dialysis.
So he got sicker and sicker and it got to the point where we had to decide if, you know, he would want to live a life of never getting out of bed if If his body even healed enough to get to that point.
Um, or if he was telling us that, you know, he had fought enough and he was tired and ready to let go.
It's a choice that no parent obviously ever, ever wants to make.
And in making that choice, we, we talked so long about, you know, making sure that we were, Well, that's sort of providential, isn't it?
And even though Benny was three, he couldn't really talk.
So he talked to us in his own way, but he wasn't a verbal communicator.
The only word he ever said was, bye, and happy.
Well, that's sort of providential, isn't it?
Yeah.
You know that he was happy.
Let me, I know how difficult this is, and I think there are people out there who will hear this and can only imagine what that kind of a choice is like for a parent.
I truly can't imagine anything more difficult, but you know what, Nicholas and Tasha?
You did have, you did have another, at least, what people presented to you as a choice, and I think it's the important one.
That was that you chose to give little Benny life.
Yes.
That you chose, and let me ask you this.
Despite everything that happened, and I can't imagine anything more difficult, Santa would go to the gates of hell itself for his children, as I know you would.
I would imagine that you don't regret making that decision with Benny for a moment.
No.
No.
Absolutely no regret for it.
And I think that's a very powerful example for people out there who will often say that, well, this is how it's supposed to be, or, you know, they decide that some people don't deserve to have a chance, and you gave him a chance.
Yes.
Seems like he did.
That was the least we could do for him.
And that's one of the many reasons we do like sharing his story, is to give anyone out there in a position where they have They're presented with this choice and have a sick child that it's a choice that exists, but the real choice is choosing to give your child the chance that they want.
And if they don't make it, they didn't make it on their own.
And if they do make it, then you have a beautiful time with them, you know?
We were very blessed to have him in our lives.
You know, I speak with parents all over the world, and obviously this is an unfortunate situation that happens, or something similar to this, and never once, never once have I spoken to anyone who says they regret having that child in their life, that they regret that life, as difficult as it may be, and I think that sometimes around Christmas, as difficult as things may be, it's time to Be thankful for the things we do have.
And right now, look, you have a wonderful family.
Even if she's a- Even if she's a little troublemaker right there, I'm sure- I'm sure that you're glad to have that troublemaker in your life for every single- Every single electrical appliance she unplugs, or- Or chemicals she ingests that she's not supposed to.
The young Santa had to have his stomach pumped one time for what was back then was children's Tylenol.
It was incredibly difficult.
I know how hard it is, but I also know that obviously this is expensive and obviously you incurred a lot of medical bills that were very difficult for the family, right?
Well, we were very blessed by living in the small town we live in.
People really rallied to support us and help however they could.
Between spaghetti benefits to just donating out of their pocket, we had a significant amount of support.
Well that's fantastic that your whole town rallied behind you.
That's a real blessing and you know that's one thing that a lot of people when they talk about small town America or Appalachia they often forget about the people and what they do for each other.
I tell you the place Santa Claus loves going least is New York City.
My sleigh could be stranded right in the middle of Sixth Avenue and no one would bat an eye or help a wink, but I know that you're being very, obviously, grateful and positive, and I can't tell you how much that means to everyone I know watching and listening right now, but I also know how difficult that can be for a family, and not just, obviously, emotionally, but the financial toll it can take.
And now, what you do know is, we've spoken before this, you've spoken with Santa's elves, that Santa will be taking care of all the Christmas gifts this year.
For your little ones.
And I'm very happy to... But there's something that you don't know.
Your story touched us so much over here, at the North Pole, that we actually would like to... I'd like to bring in my elf here, Elf Riley, to help you.
Right now, she can show it to the camera, but Santa's going to have to show you this.
Your family, this year, with a check for $50,000, to help you reset And to help your family as you get through this Christmas season, and you went through a time that I can only imagine most people couldn't even in their worst possible scenario.
And I wish I could do more, but I can't.
I think you've done so much more for us in sharing your story.
I truly thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
If I could say one last thing.
If it's one thing, I promise you I'm good for it.
I promise you that I am good for it.
Santa actually got on the early train with Bitcoin, so I'm flush.
Good.
Good.
No, I, um, it's just an important point to bring up whenever we talk about Vinny that, you know, I met a lot of amazing families who Who are also staying at the Ronald McDonald house, which is an amazing charity that I think if anyone does have the means to give back is a great way to give back.
Um, but I, I made lifelong friends there and you know, when Benny passed, I, one of the girls that I'm closest to, she said, you know, I can't help, but be mad at God for letting these little kids be sick and suffer so much.
And I told her, You know, I can't be mad at God at all, because God is the one that chose us to be Benny's parents and put him in our lives to begin with.
And regardless of the things that Benny went through, which was all part of God's plan, you know, he was part of our lives, and I could never be mad about that.
And part of his plan was to touch an astounding amount of people's lives.
I could never be mad at God for giving us such a beautiful thing in our lives.
Well, I tell you what, I think you've touched a great many lives here today, and I know that you've touched everyone here.
This has been a trend here this day.
There's not a dry eye in the house, and I hope that what little we can do here is a help to you, and I tell you what, I do not say this Lightly, those children are incredibly blessed to have parents like you, Nicholas and Tasha, and I don't think that Benny could have asked for better when it comes to parents.
I thank you, and I thank you so much for sharing your story, and I hope that people really ponder hard and not only listen, but take a moment and be grateful for the things they have and the people in their lives.
Nicholas and Tasha, thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I wish you both the merriest Christmas, and that will be, well, I don't know if we do wire.
Santa's not allowed on PayPal anymore.
Venmo, they have a problem with, you know, there's not enough diversity at the North Pole, but there's also not enough sun.
I don't know what they want from me.
So, Nicholas and Tasha, the Sharp family, we wish you the best.
Santa's going to take care of you this year.
God bless you and thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you.
Oh, what a wonderful family.
That's hot again!
Every time, it's hotter!
It's like a pop-tart that's been in the toaster for far too long.
It sticks to your mouth like napalm or Agent Orange.
Look, I'm supposed to leave you here.
This is the last time I'll see you this year with thoughts on Christmas, and I don't know that I can say it any better than the families that have come before me, but...
I do think that everyone's having a little bit of trouble these last couple years.
I understand that some people have had some rough goes, some tough breaks, and sometimes it feels like that Christmas miracle is just a little bit further away than you were hoping for.
And I want you to know that there are a lot of people out there, and maybe you don't even know.
Some you do, but some waiting in the wings who are there to help make your miracle happen.
You may just need to reach out.
Many of us here have experienced it this year to the point that we don't have enough room for it with MugClubForever.com.
And all of you, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and support from fantastic, fantastic partnerships out there that have helped us.
Santa's a Walther, man.
As you well know, you have SantaCrowderCoco.com.
I genuinely am giving this my aside from the fact that it's scalding hot.
That's not their fault.
That's ours!
It is the best hot cocoa I've ever- What's the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa?
Does anyone know?
Milk fat?
I don't know, it's very- It's good.
It's good.
So I would hope for all of you out there right now, I understand and it's very easy to complain, it's very easy to see how difficult, cold, cutthroat, maybe selfish the world has become.
You're not wrong in seeing that in the world.
Santa sees it too, but doesn't Christmas make that coldness just a little bit more warm?
Doesn't Christmas maybe help us all to treat each other a little less cutthroat and with a little more empathy?
And doesn't it maybe turn a frown and a tear into a smile and a hug?
And if it doesn't, well, put down the politics for a little bit, put down your news apps, and go make it happen yourself.
There's probably someone in your life who needs it, and I don't know exactly when I'll be seeing you again, because I don't know if you know about this, but at the North Pole, there's a lot of... well, there's some red tape this time of year.
But Santa can keep track of you and don't let us lose touch with you by just entering your email at MugClubForever.com.
That's what makes all of this work possible and the help that we can provide, as small as it may be, a drop in the bucket of the world this Christmas season.
It's all supported by you.
And we appreciate your continued support and we promise that we won't let you down if you enter in your email at MugClubForever.com You won't receive any spam.
You won't receive mailing lists being sold to other people.
You might receive a confirmation to make sure you want to be in that list so that you aren't sold a bunch of NFTs and oversized foam hands.
That's not what Christmas is all about.
I mean, I think I have some on my list, but this thing is just useless at this point.
It's just a screed from someone's Insane lamentations.
Merry Christmas!
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