If you want to find a house with more Christmas joy than almost anywhere, pay a visit to the Norman family in Rustburg.
"We just celebrate the birth of Jesus and the joy that brings," said Dawn Norman, matriarch of the Norman family.
Their home on Dunivan Drive in Rustburg has been decked out for the big holiday since September. Fake snow covers the yard. Garland and lights wrap around the porch. There's even a 20 foot snowman.
The Normans go the extra mile for their son, Nathan. Christmas is his favorite time of year.
When asked why he loves the holiday so much, Nathan smiled and said "It's God's birth."
Most kids look forward to Christmas, because they get a lot of presents. Nathan gets something else out of it.
"It just takes his mind off of everything," said Dawn.
For more than half his young life, Nathan has been battling cancer. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor, right after his second birthday.
"The doctors said oh we don't have to start chemo right away. They're supposed to be slow growing. It could take months or years," Dawn said. "Nathan's tumor didn't know that. In five weeks time, it grew 50 percent."
He now has tumors in both his brain and spine. At just five years old, he's enduring three different types of chemotherapy.
"Nathan knows that he's going to be healed either way, whether the Lord heals him here on earth or ultimatley in heaven," said Dawn. "I think this time of year helps remind him of the even more."
Nathan had just one thing on his Christmas list this year. He wanted cards from police, firefighters, and EMT's.
Every week a few letters would stream in, until a Virginia State Police trooper asked Nathan's mom if he could send out a mass e-mail.
"I said no that's not a problem at all, thinking that we'd get a couple more cards," said Dawn.
Now, he's getting thousands of cards, from every corner of the globe.
"He's getting anywhere from 50 to 400 packages a day. Anywhere from two to seven letter trails filled with letters and packages from all over," said Cheryl Ellis, a family friend who is helping the Norman family manage their mail.
Cards and packages have come from every state and 25 different countries.
Sometimes the letters come with visitors. On Thursday a group of EMT's and firefighters from New York drove down to meet Nathan.
"We're going to come out any time he needs us, and he can come see us anytime, and we're going to be fighting with him," said Frank Chiabrmonte, an EMT who works in Brooklyn.
Random visits from first responders are becoming a daily occurance. Nathan is making new friends, getting lots of presents, and sharing a very special gift of his own.
"Everything that happens, God allows it to happen," said Dawn. "He didn't make Nathan have cancer, but he has allowed it to happen and through that he is allowing so many lives to be touched."
Nathan has no idea just how many people have reached out to him. His family hasn't been able to go through most of the mail, but he appreciates every card and gift he receives.
When asked what he would like to say to the people who have been sending him cards, Nathan simply replied "Thank You!"
You can contact Nathan Norman at the following address:
81 Dunivan Drive
Rustburg, VA 24588
