Christmas is a special time of year. Not having family in Queensland, it has
always been a day that I have spent with friends. Friends are the family that you pick for
yourself and I have picked some keepers.
I hate to admit that until my recent trip to Newcastle, I really didn’t
have a family and I know that that statement would mortify my ‘real’ family and
I am so grateful that I recognised that fact and there are ‘real’ family of
mine out there-blood relatives of my mum and they are all good eggs. I have made a pledge to keep in touch with
them all on this trip and I totally intend to hold up my end of the
bargain.
Christmas is also a time for children. To see their little faces light up when they
see Santa, talk about what they want from the jolly fellow and discussing what
they will leave for him on Christmas Eve is a real treat. They are just at that age where they still
believe in Santa, but I am not sure if the story will hold over to next
Christmas, as they are smart kids and kids talk. Even this year there were murmurs at school
of kids saying Santa isn’t real-so it is only a matter of time but I intend to
enjoy the Christmas magic this year while I can and while I am here as I have
no idea if I will be back for Christmas next year. Last year we were in Bolivia, in Unyuni and I
have to say it wasn’t the merriest of Christmas’s and I think it was because we
were all thinking of home and that was where we wanted to be-just for that
day.
I saw a post on Facebook that beautifully answered the
belief in Santa and I wanted to share it with you. You never know, people with kids may be able
to use this when the time is right when trying to field questions about Santa.
Dear child’s name,
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 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
I just LOVE it and it brings a tear to my eyes. What a great letter in the spirit of
Christmas.
Speaking of belief the Elkins have a ‘Cousins’ Christmas
party every year when the cousins all gather at one of their houses with their
offspring and have a few drinks, a catch up and then ‘Santa’ appears and gifts
(supplied by the parents)and this traditional has been going since the Elkin
girls were born. Shane used to be the ‘Santa’
but the kids were starting to get suspicious of him and he has had to pass on
the Santa suit to anyone that would step up to the plate. It is a shame as he loved the role and I
think after this year he could probably get back in the suit next Christmas. This year Uncle Trevor had flown from Sydney
with his family to join the festivities and he was more than happy to don the
suit in the 31C heat, lucky for him we were in an air-conditioned room. So we got all the kids together and the
second that Trev walked in from the back door the first thing Hunter (who is 8)
said ‘hi Uncle Trevor’!!! I think the Santa
ruse at the cousin’s Christmas may have come to an end. All the kids are all around the same age as
Tess and Zoe except baby Ella who is 6 months old and the Christmas spirit
lives on in the next generation. I have
to say Trev was hilarious as Santa, with his thongs on his feet and his sense
of humour as the adults also get presents from Santa. What a great tradition to have each year and
I am sure it will keep growing strong even as the kids grow older.
I am happy to report that I have not caught up in buying
present for people this year. I made it
quite clear my first week back to all concerned that I didn’t want any
Christmas presents this year and that I would only be buying them for the
children. This firstly cuts out the
time, walking around the shops, the money on buying ‘token’ presents and there
will be no ‘awkward’ Christmas day gaffs with the adults. So with that said I have just about finished
my shopping buying 5 kids presents, gifts for the god-daughters, some for
Shelly and Shane I am now actually finished my shopping. I am thankful that I don’t have the pressure
of finding presents and I think it has made me appreciate my time more.
As Christmas Eve approaches the girls have a lot of
questions and the few that have stuck in my mind have been the question that
they both asked ‘does Santa visit Ethiopia’?
Now that is a very good question and a very tough one to answer. I have been telling the girls how the
children in Africa don’t have many toys, if any, and that I will be helping
little children that don’t have mums and dads.
So to tell them that Santa does go to Ethiopia gives them the impression
all the children get a shiny new gift and if I say no then it destroys the
magic of Santa-it was a tough one to answer and I think I fobbed it off without
having to give an answer either way-but they did still ask why I need to go if
Santa does visit. I told you these kids
were smart. The other 2 questions was
what does Santa do when he needs to go to the toilet and the last one was what
if they wake up during the night and see Santa by accident as we have told the
girls that they would need to go to bed early on Christmas Eve as Santa won’t
come if they are still awake-which isn’t a lie.
So I am lucky to be amongst friends this year. It is a great way to see a lot of people one
last time and I just want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. Enjoy your family, love them fiercely, love
them freely and make the most of every moment, make it count.
No matter if you are with the one that you start with
Or the one that you end up with
Or the family that you gain along the way-make every day
December 25th.
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