THE CHRISTMAS SHOES
Christmas is ... the Rescue
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A 1990s internet story about a little boy and his mama touched the heart of DC Chymes, a St. Louis radio personality. Thinking it would make a wonderful song, Chymes took the prose to the musical group, NewSong.
After setting the lyrics to music, the composition received minimal interest. So the group sat on the piece for several years. One day, a group member shared the story behind the song with his friend Donna VanLiere. Touched by the tale, she wrote a book about the boy who wanted to buy shoes for his mama. Wouldn’t you know it? The book became a best-seller … then a movie. People were so enamored with The Christmas Shoes song, book, and movie that Hallmark capitalized on its fame, turning another of Donna’s books into a Christmas movie.
Now, accounts vary as to the way these events actually happened. But what about the little boy in the song who wanted to buy a pair of shoes for his dying mama? Did he truly exist?
Not according to Helga Schmidt. No, sir. There wasn’t a boy. But she did stand in a long line with a brother and sister who argued about which one would put the shoes on the counter beside the register. And it wasn’t until she added $3.00 to complete the transaction that she grasped their dire need.
The children thanked her, then shared what they’d learned in Sunday School. They wanted their dying mama’s shoes to match Heaven’s gold-paved streets.
So moved by her encounter with these children, Schmidt wrote the 1970s story as a continuing education piece, which somehow found its way into a newspaper, a church bulletin, and eventually a “Chicken Soup for the Soul” publication.
Can you see the profound impact this story had on each of the people involved? For NewSong, VanLiere, and Hallmark, their fame skyrocketed.
No doubt the help the siblings received, the gift they gave their mother and the motherless years that followed, changed and shaped them.
Because of her generosity, Helga Schmidt received a gift greater than any $3.00 investment. The story she shared affected the world.
A one-of-a-kind moment.
Now, for all of us who know the story behind The Christmas Shoes, what was the brightest moment? The moment that truly changed lives. Maybe lives changed because of the Christmas wrapped shoebox. Or maybe the images displayed on the silver screen touched people’s hearts.
But Hallmark would’ve never produced the movie. VanLiere wouldn’t have written the story. The song that moved us to tears wouldn’t have been composed. Schmidt’s money would’ve stayed in her pocket. And the siblings who argued on the store line that day may not have purchased shoes for their dying mama –- had they not learned of the hope of Heaven in Sunday School that morning.
The moment the children chose to believe that Heaven is real. One brilliant, magical moment changed everything … For the siblings. For everyone involved in producing the Christmas Shoes song and story. For us who believe.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)
Also, please check out my Amazon #1 book for Early Readers, A Snowflake's Adventure . In 2021, we donated over 500 for these books to OCC/SP! Thank you for purchasing and leaving a review on Amazon!! Thank you!
Such a touching story and song...it brought tears to my eyes!