What a Life! for December 20-27, 2006

A reader sent me the following Christmas story.

The week before Christmas, as I finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the front door and to my surprise, Santa himself was standing before me. He placed his finger over his lips so I wouldn’t cry out.

“What can I do for you?” I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat when I saw the tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner and rambunctious spirit were missing.

He sat, looked at me intently and said, “Teach the children!” I wondered what he meant? He anticipated my question and said, “Teach the children! Teach them the true meaning of Christmas before it too late.”

Santa then opened his toy bag and pulled out a fir tree and placed it before the mantle. “Teach the children that the pure green color of the fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of humankind.”

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant star. “Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of God’s promise.”

He then took out a candle. “Teach the children that the candle symbolizes Christ, the light of the world. When we see this light, we are reminded that Christ dispels darkness.”

Again, he reached into his bag and took out a wreath and placed it on the door. “Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real love. Real love has no end. Love is one everlasting round of caring.”

He then took out an ornament of himself. “Teach the children that I, Santa Claus, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during December.”

Then he took out a gift and said, “Teach the children that God so loved the world that God gave his begotten Son. Thank God for this fantastic gift. Also, teach the children that the Magi adored the holy child and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give our gifts in this spirit.”

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a candy cane and hung it on the tree. “Teach the children that the candy cane is extremely hard and white in color. The white is symbolic of the virgin birth and the sinless nature of Jesus. The hard texture represents the solid rock foundation on which the church was built.

The shape of the candy was purposely made as a “J,” representing the name of Jesus. It also serves as a reminder of the staff of the “Good Shepherd. The pure white “J” was intentionally stained with one large and three small red stripes. The larger stripe represents the blood shed by Christ on the cross for our salvation. The three small stripes represent the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

He reached in again and pulled out an angel. “Teach the children that the angels heralded in the glorious news of the Savior’s birth.”

The twinkle was now back in Santa’s eyes. He said, “Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of God, and like the Magi, I, too, bow down to worship Jesus, our Lord and God.”

May you and your family have a blessed and Merry Christmas!