What Christmas is about

Terry Thomas suffered a stroke 12 years ago; it left him partially paralyzed, unable to work with his right arm, and mostly speechless. His handicap did not douse his Christmas spirit, because he decorates his mother, Ruby’s, house and yard every year, using only his left arm.
Terry’s aunt, Hilda Edwards, spoke for him while he proudly smiled at his hard work. “He does it for the kids to come see,” said Edwards. The neighborhood children love to see the plethora of decorations in a sparsely-decorated area.
Ruby beamed, saying she sees people stop at night with cameras. “I don’t have the patience to do this. He does it all by himself,” she said.
Terry was originally right-handed, but after his stroke, he had to learn to use his left hand. He still goes to physical therapy. “He learned how to cook a sauce and used that left hand to do it,” joked Edwards. “Sometimes people sit and feel sorry for themselves when they go through that, but he more or less didn’t. He just started figuring out ‘How can I adjust to that?’ He learned how to take care of himself and cook and put the Christmas decorations up with one hand.” Terry laughed with a big grin flashing across his face.
After the sun sets and twilight fades to dark, Terry’s work begins to twinkle with lights bringing cheer to the long, cold nights. Cheerful, glowing characters don the property with a warm and festive glow: a giant snowman, a polar bear, Snoopy, neon palm and Christmas trees, reindeer, wreaths, and candy canes. On the porch, a life-sized Santa dances and HO-HOs. Amidst the whimsical menagerie there is a spotlighted Nativity, reminding everyone what Christmas is truly about.