When I was growing up we had Santa pillows around the house. Like this one, they were made by sewing together a preprinted design and then stuffing it with pillow filler. This Santa has been with me since I was a child. He and his wife have graced my bed or other rooms of the house, filling the place with Christmas spirit and hope. Every year I enjoy bringing them back into the house to spread a little Christmas cheer.
As a Christian I struggle with the whole Santa thing. Unfortunately he has become a commercial way to coerce children into behaving through the year. Santa Claus is based on a Catholic Bishop, St Nicholas who wore a red cloak and made the world a better place for the lives of children in need. We have turned Santa into cartoons and stories, songs and advertising icons to help promote the idea of giving gifts and selling things to parents to make their children happy at Christmas. I am saddened when I see how buying and selling has become what Santa means to people. Yet I must admit that I still believe in Santa Claus. I choose to believe that one person can bring to life the goodness and happiness that we all so richly want in the world. I was reminded of this when I watched Miracle on 34th Street, the 1994 version. There was a point in the movie where the idea of what Santa Claus is all about comes through…
Santa explaining who he is to Mrs Walker, the department store executive…“I’m not just a whimsical figure who wears a charming suit and affects a jolly demeanor. I’m a symbol. I’m a symbol of the human ability to suppress the selfish and hateful tendencies that rule the major parts of our lives. If you can’t believe. If you can’t accept anything on faith, then you are doomed to a life dominated by doubt.”
Every time I hear this quote, I am reminded why I choose to believe in Santa Claus. He is a reminder that faith is more important than facts. I know that does not seem logical, or realistic or even plausible. Reality dishes out a tremendous dose of hardship, pain, anguish and trouble that we endure each and every year of our lives. The world we live in can be cynical and cold, cruel and built on a dog eat dog mindset. We seem determined to have winners and losers, conquests and victors. We want the best, seek out the top, strive for perfection and everything our heart desires can be bought or sold online. Santa Claus reminds us that goodness, kindness and faith is free to give away. Santa reminds us that every child deserves to be given their heart’s desire. Santa reminds me that joy and cheer and generosity can bring people together and change the world, one stocking or present at a time. Even if for one day, Santa symbolizes that giving is more important than receiving and his life is based on the idea that one person can dedicate their world to brining others good will and cheer.
So tonight I choose to believe that Santa Claus will make his busy trip around the world, bringing joy and peace to everyone who chooses to believe. I would rather believe than live in a world dominated by doubt.
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