Christmas Eve, 1947
The miracle of Christmas is coming to pass again. On the wings of peace the spirit of it has been slowly stealing over all the lands, across every sea. You can hear it in the tinkle of the Christmas-kettle bells. You can feel the warmth of it in the spoken greetings of the day. all are friends, there are no strangers this Christmas eve. Family ties are closer, from the fireplaces of America to the Christian mission-homes of far-off places.

Nearly two thousand years ago, a gentle man was born. His impact of peace and friendliness has outlasted sword and strife through all these years. And is it not a miracle that the anniversary of this plain carpenter's birth, causes the greatest stirring of emotion of earth around than any other?

Christians, young and old, are expecting Kris Kringle to make his traditional flight tonight. He will. As surely as Santa clause is the oldest pilot in the world, this is one "hop" that will be made on schedule regardless of weather. For though man has struggled and labored to fly these many centuries, the operator in the tower who directs Kris Kringle, in spirit and reality, must chuckle to himself as he sees our tiny efforts. For has he not always known the secret?

Does not the solitary flight of Santa Clause each Christmas eve into the hearts and homes of the entire believing world, make our fastest jet-job look like a horse and buggy? Yet it happens, doesn't it?

The fires of friendship have been warming in Warsaw, Indiana, day by day, and I'll bet if you were in London, England, "austerity" or not, they would be burning now at the same rate.

Tonight the spirit of Christmas with Santa Claus at the controls, will make a landing in every village and hamlet, in every city and on every home in the nation. His plane will soar through the clouds on the wings of happiness, and powered by the motors of Christian charity, will arrive simultaneously in millions of homes. Don't we know it is so? Haven't you seen the preparations?

So tonight the oldest pilot in the world, will commence the longest flight ever made and will break every speed record ever set.

When you awaken in the morning, see the joy in the twinkle of young eyes, feel the warmth in the hearts of all men, you will know the age-old flight has been completed.

The miracle of Christmas will have come to pass again.

You will be living our heartfelt wish for you--A Very Merry Christmas!

Warsaw Daily Times Wed. Dec. 24, 1947