December 8, 2004
My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or
modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think
of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?
~Bob Hope~
No Santa?
By Francis Wailing
"There no Santa" she exclaimed in all her 6-year-old wisdom, "it's just your dad!"
"Well, what's the Spirit of Christmas?" I asked.
"It's Jesus! It's His birthday!" she declared.
I continued (much to her annoyance), "Why do we love and honor Him so much? Just because it's His birthday?"
"No, silly. It's 'cause He loves us and did so much for us. He even died so we can go back and live with Heavenly Father!"
"Why would he do all that just for us?" I queried, incredulous.
"I told you! HE LOVES US!"
Then I told her the ancient legend of the man (thought to have lived in the in the Century) who, to celebrate the love of Christ, gave gold to the poor on Christmas Day. When he began giving to girls who could not marry because they had no Dowries, parents because suspicious and locked their doors on Christmas eve. So he climbed onto the roofs while the families slept and dropped money into the cold fireplaces.
Historians have debated the reality of Saint Nicholas for years. According to some, he was known as well for other deeds of compassion; he was a bishop who befriended widows and orphans, carried grain to far away places suffering famine, restored life to the murdered sons of a nobleman, and built a hospice for wayfarers. Stories believable and not-so-believable abound. But the point of all of them is that he did what he did for love--to reflect Christ's love for each of us, saint or sinner, poor or rich.
Our children construct fantasy worlds in spite of us. Psychologists tell us it is entirely normal for small children to have imaginary friends, to invent tall tales, and to believe in fictional characters who give us presents because they love us. However, a child does not have to be very old nor very wise to realize that no one man could encircle the globe and visit every home in one night, nor that any man (with the help of elves), could make all those toys, nor that reindeer fly! But then, there is fantasy, and they don't really believe it, or do they? And then, they look around and see one Santa here, with flowing white beard and heavy black eyebrows, and another there with plastic spats over his sandy-colored eyebrows, and a third downtown who looks very old and unjolly as he rings his bell over a collection pot. Where do all the Santas come from?
Where does all fantasy come from? It comes from love or a desire for it, and from eager, fertile, questioning minds. Aren't all things possible? But the point that comes through loud and clear in the Santa "fantasy" is one of love. We give to others to remember Him who gave to us. Even if the decorations go up before Halloween bespeaking crass commercialism, the message can still be one of love.
There IS a Santa! I am Santa! My parents were Santa! You are Santa! We can be disgusted at the money-grubbing schemes we see around us, or we can concentrate on that love. We can go to elaborate lengths to convince our children there is a Santa, or we can declare flatly to them, "There is no Santa!" No matter. But we must convince them of the reality of the love in which the legend began.
"I told you! HE LOVES US!" Let that declaration echo and re-echo in our hearts as we shop, wrap, sew, bake and worry about dead lines. Let it remain as we tell the tales, sing the songs, and decorate with the symbols. And let us remember Him as He said, "As I have loved you, love one another!"
song playing....Christ Is Christmas