The Tale of the Escaping Santas

Ho! Ho! Ho! Hello there. Do you like stories? Then let me share a little story with you. I’m a Santa Claus. Not the real guy, but one of his representatives. Some people like to collect Santa representatives. I’m not sure why since they only want us to show up at certain times of the year. The rest of the time we’re stuffed in bags and boxes and hid away in dark places. That doesn’t sound like much fun, now, does it? But come December, we start escaping out into the daylight.

Some people say Santa represents the special loving spirit that seems to show up at Christmas time. That’s when you hear stories about random kindness where someone buys some person they don’t even know a cup of coffee or maybe some milk and cookies.  Santas all over like those cookies. That’s when toy drives fill up Santa’s sled because even Santa’s magic needs a little help now and again. That’s when people string lights on rooftops to light up the world. Of course, we know who the real Light of the world is and the true reason for Christmas. That has more to do with angels singing to shepherds, a baby in a manger at Bethlehem and a star leading wise men to the Savior.

But Santas have a way of adding a little jolly fun to the holiday. It’s like this guy, Edwin Osgood Grover says. “Santa Claus is anyone who loves another and seeks to make them happy; who gives himself by thought or word or deed in every gift that he bestows.”

That’s the Santa spirit, and that’s why Santas need to escape the boxes people stuff us down into. Okay, so we can sleep all year in our dark places, but come December we have to push up out of those boxes and bags. We are here to remind everyone that Christmas is coming. We don’t always just end up on shelf somewhere. Sometimes we  take pictures with beautiful boys and girls whose eyes dance with the wonder of Christmas. Sometimes we stand on street corners or in front of stores and ring a bell to encourage you to share your Christmas spirit. Sometimes we might be a policeman with the “Shop with a Cop” event where we take children to a big store to buy presents not only for themselves but for their families, because Christmas is about giving. So even if you don’t see Santa suits on those people who take time to do special things for others at Christmas, they have Santa hearts.

Folks think Santa just shows up at midnight on Christmas Eve by sliding down a chimney, but it’s like this Paul M. Ell says, “They err who think Santa Claus comes down through the chimney; he really enters through the heart.”

But while all of us Santas who escape the boxes and bags where we’ve been sleeping all year, are happy enough to remind everybody about the spirit of Christmas, we know that we’re not what really makes Christmas the most beautiful time of the year. We know a baby born to a virgin is the true wonder of Christmas. “And she will bring forth a Son, you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)  And the angels sang. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

We Santa representatives will only stand out on a shelf for a few weeks, but may we all keep that true Christmas spirit in our hearts year round and give glory to God in thanks for His indescribable gift of love. You can pack us Santas away but don’t pack away the Christmas spirit and love. Let it linger through the year so we can rejoice with the angels for peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

Hope you enjoyed my escaping Santa tale. I’ve been collecting Santas since a fellow worker with my husband made that jolly little guy in the middle. He has a pen and he’s making a list. At first it only had my children’s name, but now I’ve added their spouses and all the grandchildren. The other Santas have joined him on the shelf over the years, mostly as gifts under the tree.

Remember the giving spirit is going on right now here on my One Writer’s Journal blog, and if you leave a comment (maybe about something you let escape your boxes at Christmas time) here on my post, your name will be in a drawing for your choice of one of my books. It can be a copy my Shaker Christmas book, Christmas at Harmony Hill, that is on special e-book sale this month for 99 cents or one of my other books. The prize book is an autographed print copy.  You can check out the e-book special on a number of online book sites, including Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, Amazon, and wherever you like to shop for e-books.

Thanks for reading. I did hear from Marilyn, last week’s winner, and I’m putting a copy of River to Redemption in the mail to her today. Can’t wait to see which of your names I draw out of my hat on Sunday.