Is Santa Real?

My teenaged daughter and I went out to enjoy a leisurely brunch yesterday on Christmas.  We saw a man with long white hair and a long white beard that was dressed up in a dapper red suit.  I smiled when I saw him and pointed him out to my daughter, saying softly, "Look, there's Santa!"  The man was elderly and walked with a black cane.  He had a narrow tube that rested beneath his nose carrying oxygen.  His eyes were twinkling and his smile was bright and  I could tell that he'd dressed up in his dapper red suit around the holidays for years, simply enjoying putting a little magic into the Christmas season.  Old age was not going to make him stop this immense treat he shared with those he met each year.

I was reminded of the time when she was 4th grade and while we were driving home from school, she asked me, "Mom, is Santa real?"  I knew immediately how incredibly important addressing this questions was going to be.  I pulled off into the nearest grocery store parking lot and stopped the car so that I could look at her with my answer.

The short answer was, "No, parents put the presents under the tree before morning.  There is not a man named Santa."  She broke down into tears.  Her little 9-year-old heart was was broken by the idea of this huge perception of Christmas not being real. 

I continued, "But here's the thing, Santa Clause is actually real, he's just more than one person.  All of the grown-ups are Santa Clause and we share that feeling of giving and magic with all of the children.  And now that you know, you can be Santa to other children, too!"

This thought had her eyes blinking with a new possibility of hopefulness and I could see my little girl redefining what Santa meant to her in the grand scheme of things.  She accepted this and then nodded and started to smile when I mentioned how we can help bring joy to so many kids by being Santa for them, especially children that did not have parents close by to do this for them.

Let us always be mindful of how we address these very important questions curious, young minds will ask.  I am thankful to have been able to see Santa Clause yesterday at brunch, to see how much joy being Santa can bring not only to one, but to everyone he encountered with that beaming smile and those twinkling eyes.  We are the keepers of the magic, the makers of good cheer and warm wishes.  It is an empowering mission that we hold and perpetuate.