We visited the mall on the 23rd of December, doing our last minute Christmas shopping. It just so happened that we bumped into the mall Santa Claus while we were there, and he gave some candy to Ethan.
When I was a little girl, I learnt about Santa and how he gives kids presents depending on how good they had been throughout the year. Every Christmas eve, I wondered if Santa would present me with what I hoped for, whether or not I had made the mark.
Actually I don’t even remember how I learnt that there’s no Santa.
Funnily enough, now I don’t really tell my kids about Santa Claus. They know exactly who gave them the Christmas gifts.
But you know, if ever any kid were to *find out* about Santa, I found a perfect answer in a little something special I received from Proactive Parenting. It’s a beautiful letter from a mother to a daughter, and I’d like to share it with you here.
I hope your Christmas was as meaningful as mine was. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
Here’s the feature from Proactive Parenting:
*****
Martha Brockenbrough’s daughter, Lucy, has figured out the truth. That has left her mother grappling with how to explain that belief and wonder don’t have to end with this news.
Brockenbrough writes about parenting on the Web site cozi.com, and recently she posted a letter that she wrote to Lucy, trying to make sense of Santa.
She and the producers of the cozi.com Web site have given me permission to run the whole letter here:
Dear Lucy,
Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”
I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.
The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.
I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)
I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the Christmas magic stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.
This won’t make you Santa, though.
Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.
It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.
Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.
With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.
So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.
I love you and I always will.
Mama
Little Miracles
Our Journey of Love
It doesn’t seem like the Santa concept is so popular in Malaysia. Growing up, I never thought of Christmas presents coming from Santa either. I always knew it came from parents, uncles, or aunties.
Maybe the idea of Santa on a sleigh doesn’t suit our tropical climate hehe
I think I grew INTO the Santa myth rather than grew OUT of it. Sunday school put paid to illusions of Santa though when I was very young my uncles would put on a game show of dressing up as the jolly man in the red suit, beard and all! Fun times 😀