The Miniature Pole Barn Brought by Santa

The year our cabin neighbor saved Christmas with a miniature pole barn

When my son Kyler was tiny, he was fascinated with every aspect of garage door operation. So, the first time he laid eyes on our cabin neighbor’s pole barn, he went nuts. Though he was just learning to talk, Kyler pointed at the door of the pole barn, looked at Mr. Ratterree with stars in his eyes, and exclaimed, “Mee-raa-ree! Gauge dwar!” From that day forward, Jim, who was 80 at the time, became one of Kyler’s all-time favorite people. They walked hand-in-hand to the lake and the tool shed. They zipped back and forth in Jim’s tractor, Kyler bouncing giddily on Mr. Ratteree’s lap. They were boating buddies, fishing friends and card-playing pals. These traditions continued every summer for five years straight. When Kyler was 7, he announced one September, “I know what I want Santa to bring me this year.” “Oh, yeah?” I asked, expecting him to whip out a toy catalog. “What’s that?” “A cabin pole barn!” I choked on my toast and asked, “Wh-what now?” “Not a giant one,” Kyler said. “A pretend one I can play with in my room.” How would I pull off this request? The only thing I ever built was a three-layer cake and even that was lumpy, leaning and lacking flavor. Then it struck me. I had a talented, woodworking genius of an ally in Mr. Ratterree. That night, I called Jim and explained my predicament. I didn’t provide dimensions, specifications or instructions of any sort. I just said, “He wants a mini version of your pole barn.” Jim spent the better part of autumn fiddling in his workshop. I knew that he would do a nice job, but when I laid eyes on the finished product, my breath caught. Jim’s attention to detail was astounding. He stained the wood the same color as his real-life structure. He devised a pulley system so that the garage door could slide up and down. He created a side entry with a teeny-tiny lock. Kyler’s beloved Mee-raa-ree even managed to somehow infuse the cabin smell into that miniature pole barn. I offered to pay Jim for his time and materials, but he refused. “Santa doesn’t charge,” he said. “Kyler’s going to love that barn!” I beamed, as tears trickled down my cheeks. “Well, I sure do love that boy,” Jim said. When Kyler opened his present on Christmas morning, pure joy radiated from his face. “I told you Santa would know exactly what I wanted!” Kyler squealed. Jim is 91 years old now. Kyler is 13, busy with school, sports and socializing. But the pole barn still sits in a prominent spot in Kyler’s room. Jim’s unique gift, which was fashioned from fondness, friendship and a forever love of the cabin, will go down in our family’s history as the best Christmas surprise of all time, and it’s all thanks to a special man with a huge heart named Santa Raa-ree. ABOUT OUR AUTHOR Christy Heitger-Ewing thinks that if everyone could experience life at a cabin, the world would be a happier place.