The Spirit of Santa Claus

“Is Santa Claus real?”

By Victoria Rose

When my children were old enough to ask that big question, I was able to answer “Yes,” but my answer was not designed to spoil the fantasy. I explained that Santa was a spirit of generosity and that as long as we believed in generosity, Santa was real. With generosity at the center, Christmas celebrations were more inclusive. Deciding what to give had a focus.




As
a rule, items with batteries or having something to do with fighting
were not considered. The gifts had to meet the significance of the
celebration rather than creating an environment where more was better
and excess was a reason to celebrate.

Gift
giving in my house has three required categories — music, books and
fun. Each one had a spirit of ts own and lasted long after the tree
was taken down and the darkness of the winter season surrounded us.
Music brought joyful celebration to our ears and hearts. It might have
been Tom Paxton one year and the soundtrack to “The Producers” a few
years later. When my children were at the age where I simply was not
able to listen to what they were listening to, I looked for something
obscure, something that neither of us had heard before simply for the
promise of its surprise. Then, there were the instruments — Rain
sticks, tambourines, and xylophones, anything that made joyful noise.


Books have
always been a weakness of mine. I admit, I have more books than
clothes, and I would save the bookstore for last when Christmas
shopping as a treat for all my endeavors. Gift books ranged from
beautiful art to learning about how things worked or existed. Other
books had a choice of endings, opening up the possibilities of options
and solutions. There were also blank books, intended for the receiver
to fill with their own art and words. The stories, art and imagination
of the books brought the beauty of the world into our living room, over
and over again each time we open the book and turned the pages.


Incorporating
fun required imagination. As a child, I remember my grandfather sitting
with a puzzle for hours. I thought he was having fun. Many of the toys
I picked out were ones I looked forward to playing-like noc hockey,
uno, wooden blocks and a puzzle in honor of my grandfather and my
mother. I would work my way through the shopping maze to find toys that
would engage children of all ages and could challenge anyone who was
willing to play and be like a child.


The toys I
selected met the significance of birth and renewal. Searching for ways
to renew spirits during the season provided me an opportunity to play
with a purpose. One year, I wrote out the twelve days of Christmas for
each of my children, writing what I loved about them for each of the
twelve days. Another year, I set up a scavenger hunt where they had to
search for their most treasured toy. As my children began to outgrow
their childhood, I looked for ways to playfully package their gifts.
After all, as children of God, they deserved no less than to be gifted
with spirit, playfulness and joy.