Philip and Joan Gulley are no different from most of us. Before they had children, they thought they knew exactly how they would handle every situation. They imagined sharing pearls of timeless parental wisdom with their children and guiding them gently along life's paths. But it didn't turn out like that. Philip remembers one Christmas when the Gulley's toddler son, Spencer, became fascinated with the family Nativity set. One day, he dipped one of the figurines in ketchup and proceeded to lick it off. Joan Gulley scolded, "Honey, don't dip the wise man in ketchup." Of all the pearls of parental wisdom Philip and Joan thought they'd be passing on to their children, "Don't dip the wise man in ketchup," wasn't one of them. (1) 

I'm certain that the Christmas season brought many special mome…