In December last year I caught a nasty virus that rendered me completely mute for weeks, unable to squeak out a sound.
I carried a pad of paper with me everywhere, scrawling out requests and answers and the occasional wry comment until one day a week before Christmas my almost 8-year-old son came home with the worst playground news ever and the innocence-busting moment parents dread: Is there a Santa?
Not since the flu vaccine have I been so grateful for a virus, pointing to my throat, the universal sign for 鈥淚 can鈥檛 talk.” I wrote something on my pad about 鈥淪anta spirit=Love=We give gifts,鈥� which is exactly as inadequate as it sounds.
After I got over the impulse to be That Parent who goes crazy on the playground truth-teller, I sat down at my computer to write my answer. The time allowed provided thinking space that an immediate answer wouldn鈥檛 have, and here is what I wrote for him:
—
Truman,
It鈥檚 driving me crazy that I can鈥檛 talk on this day, when you鈥檙e asking me a very important question. Is Santa Claus a real person, you asked. It鈥檚 a bit of a story.
St. Nicholas was a man who lived a few hundred years after Jesus (around the year 300) and gave a lot of money away to people who were poor, especially to children. But St. Nicholas didn鈥檛 want a lot of attention, so he would give gifts in secret ways. One time, he sent a bag of gold down someone鈥檚 chimney鈥攖hat鈥檚 why people say Santa comes down the chimney even now, 1,700 years later.
St. Nicholas was so special, he has his own day when people celebrate him, December 6. Because Christmas is in December too, a lot of people started smushing Christmas and St. Nicholas Day together, using Jesus鈥檚 birthday party as a time to give gifts to each other, and to remember to give to people who don鈥檛 have as much as we do.
Nicholas, who is also called Santa Claus, showed that all gifts really do is show that we鈥檙e thinking about each other, with love.
We鈥檙e lucky to live in a city that has people of so many different religions, and people who are looking to be kind to others, and make life better, either in the name of God or in the name of goodness. And we鈥檙e lucky to have Santa Claus as a person who represents that kindness, generosity, joy, and surprise, to others.
Back to your question, 鈥淚s Santa Claus a real person?鈥� Daddy and I choose your Christmas presents, things we know will bring you joy to put the best Truman into the world, just like St. Nicholas did for people he gave gifts to 1,700 years ago. With those gifts, you can be the next person, the best you, to fill in for St. Nicholas someday, to do his job on Christmas Eve, just like Daddy and I do now, so more people will know kindness and then can be kind to each other.
Remember how in math we said that infinity isn鈥檛 a number, it鈥檚 an idea? It still exists and it鈥檚 still real. That鈥檚 Santa. Do you think you can help me and Daddy bring the idea of Santa to life this Christmas?
We all, adults too, will use this season to focus on being 鈥渘ice鈥� and give presents. And move away from being 鈥渘aughty鈥� and remember to apologize and forgive. It鈥檚 how we should live our whole lives, and December is a good time to remember it.
There is real magic in the world, and people who walk around saying 鈥淭here鈥檚 no such thing as Santa,鈥� to sound smart, or because they heard an older brother say it, are missing the point entirely. They might not understand yet that even though Santa is not one person, we all become him on one night when we are kind to each other. That is magic.
So now you know that the real secret about Christmas is more than just that 鈥淪anta isn鈥檛 one person.鈥� It鈥檚 that the things you can鈥檛 touch鈥攍ove, joy, peace鈥攁re the most real things in the world and that we all get a chance to show that like Santa.
Love,
Mom
Mary Beth Alright is a聽food expert, an attorney and a writer for National Geographic’s . 聽She is a frequent contributor online and on-air at 草莓传媒.聽. It was republished with permission.聽
