Why I will Always believe in Santa

Well it’s that time of year again. For some it’s a time of wonderment and for others a time of stress and frustration. I just can’t seem to get my head around this; that some people find Christmas to be full of frustration and stress and just want it to be over. You hear about it ever Christmas; people fighting over parking spaces at the mall, flipping each other off, shaking a fist, being miserable while waiting in line at a store, dreading the family get together.

Christmas for all intents and purposes is a reality every year. How someone experiences Christmas is based on their on-going perceptions of it, usually before it even arrives. I watch the difference in people as parents and children line up to see Santa at the mall. Some parents are engaging their child to every nuance of expectation, while others have a “get this over with” look on their face, and are distracted far away mentally from their current situation, and they do not get to make the experience all it can and should be for their child.

This is going to be a long Blog. I sincerely hope and wish that you will all take the time to read every word, and indulge me in that. The issue at hand is not why I still believe in Santa, but rather why don’t all of you as well?

Santa

Let me first start with the jolly old man himself and what lessons he brings to us each and every year. One of Santa’s most understated lessons is that of self-image. St. Nick as we all know is a tad on the heavier side of societal norms. Yet, what we know of Santa is that he has no self-image problems. Santa is neither proud of, or ashamed of his physical self. He neither defends it or is arrogant about it. No, our Santa is much stronger and has more important things to share with the world. Santa Claus embraces his physical self. And he does so in such a way that no one else judges him for it either. We all want and expect a jolly old ST. Nick, to revisit every year complete with extra wide girth. WOW. I know so many people that could take a simple lesson from him right there. Embrace your true self. Bring that to the table and that is all others will see.

I love that Santa precedes his arrival with a Ho Ho Ho at every turn. Santa is a joyous being and gives from a position of joy, not expectation, not indulgence, not a sense of obligation. Yet Santa is so diligent about not leaving anyone out that he not only makes a list for giving, but re-checks it. Santa gives from a joyous heart in the mode of the fantastic. I don’t concern myself with how he may have to bend time in the Einstein sense in order to cover every home on his list in those precious few hours as Christmas Eve turns into Christmas morning. I leave that to smarter people than myself. I leave that to more pragmatic individuals. For me I just embrace the wonderment of it. Here is Santa, the most giving individual of all our cultural traditions. It has always awed me the metaphors that Santa offers to all of us if we just bother to take a look, and just decide to believe a little deeper, and have just a little faith.

Santa could come any time of year yet he chooses the onset of the darkest, coldest, emptiest time of the year to bring light, and joy to the world: what a metaphor for life. To not only know but expect that at that darkest coldest season of being for you, there will come a joyous wonderment right around the corner bearing gifts and the gladdest of tidings. How can you not believe in Santa!

Santa lives by a credence that it is never about him. His mission, his joy, his reality, his image, is all about bringing his joy to the lives of others. His message in that is that “it’s not about me!”

Get over yourself and your Bah Humbug naive self-absorbed assessments of the season. Embrace Santa’s message.

Santa’s focus is always on others.

Santa takes this season to seize upon the opportunity that we all have for each other all year long that we seldom acknowledge, and that is to reach in to the lives of others, and to do so from a joyous well wishing spirit. That ability inspires a whole season of giving which is contagious to all ages, and we owe that to our tradition of Santa in all of his forms.

Our Santa reality for those of us who believe in him, creates a visionary consciousness, especially among the children. Instead of being in such a hurry to let our kids know of the non-existence of a real Santa, I think we should all take a step back and may be re-examine that issue. Let’s learn from the children the very lessons we taught them. Through a belief in Santa in the eyes of the children every year I am reawakened to some stark positions.

We learn from children but we don’t internalize, (such a shame it is) the two most powerful Nations on the planet come from this wonderful spectacle of the season and Santa Claus in particular. To my mind and to borrow from “The Miracle on 34th Street” the most powerful Nations that anyone can claim as a birthright are the Imagine-Nation, and I would add as well, Determine-Nation. To come from and live in and via those Nations for a lifetime is to truly live a life of ignited spirit.

To teach material reality of the non existence of Santa for example for no other reason is to negate the tremendous force behind the brotherhood of these two most powerful Nations.

When I look at all Santa inspires and stands for it’s a no brainer to me to believe. I have always said, believing is seeing. I believe what I see in a giving Santa that is never seeking credit or validation or reward for his giving nature. Santa in all the years I have believed in him, has never even asked for a thank you. How powerful is that of a giving and loving nature! And when we look at this deeper in a sociological premise we see the lesson that it is in giving where we tend to receive the most. Santa doesn’t ask for milk and cookies, but concerned children of the world with this visionary consciousness, “naturally” learn to want to “give back” to Santa for all he does, and leave him some milk and cookies.

And thus the circle of the fantastic continues from material gifts, to sustenance, from the underlying perfect nature of believing, feeling, comfort and joy that represents the magic of the season. Santa’s greatest lesson that compels most of us with a beating heart is that it is truly in giving, where we receive what is most meaningful. And as generations change and transcend these meanings remain absolute. In Santa we teach from one generation to the next. We witness first hand that while youth is a gift of nature, and age is a work of art, traditional images like Santa Claus are a viable bridge between the two.

I think it’s no coincidence that the people who tend to embrace the Santa spirit the most are the very young, and their ability to believe in the fantastic, and the very old, who learn the value in coming back to the same. In between are those caught in the flux of reality and chasing dangling carrots. Instead, my wish for them is that they would stop and hear the Jingle Bells.

I would like to spend the rest of this Blog exploring the contagious aspects of “Santa Claus” and the giving spirit of the season.

So what do you want for Christmas?

There was a time in my adult life when self-indulgence truly got the best of me. I didn’t recognize the Santa I outlined above. I was too concerned with my own wants and desires. At one time my mission in life, my goal was that once I had “succeeded” in my own mind I would buy myself a Rolex Presidential Edition of a Symbol of my success. Yes the “Bling” attachment appealed to me before the word “bling” was even a reality.

But many things transpired on my road to success, one of which was a discovery of humility. With every Christmas that comes now, what I “want” is to actually “give” the perfect gift to someone. I’ve come to understand that the tradition of Santa lives in all of us. I’ve come to know that I can never match the fantastic of Santa Claus, but that there is a little Santa in all of us. Maybe that is why I still believe in him so strongly. I now realize that my most favourite Christmas memories have more to do with what I “got” out of what I “gave” rather than what I received in any material form.

I am now a little embarrassed by my former goal of the Rolex. It has no symbolic value to me anymore. I would rather see need around me and do something about that in any small way possible, and by learning from Santa, do so with a joyous heart and no desire or expectations of return.

As Socrates said “the greater the power that serves you, the more honour it demands of you” Perhaps this is what Santa and the spirit of Christmas has been trying to teach us for generations. Santa put it one way for children, “be nice, not naughty” and the season teaches us adults, “good will to all men” How come we keep missing such simple messages? There is brilliance in simplicity. Let us manifest the Santa spirit in all of us, and realize that in giving, we receive the most abundance.

Give till it Hurts.

I have heard this expression many times and I can tell you honestly after a few years of spirited giving without expectation, the reality is that giving never hurts. As a matter of fact, it is my experience that when I have given the most I have received the most come back to me. Again, this is without expectation, but it is a real observation none the less. I have learned that if most people do not develop a belief in giving when it is more difficult to give, then they are less likely to be of a giving joyous spirit when it is easier to give. That is unfortunate as there is a live world out there waiting for contribution, not only of survival needs, but of simple good will as well.

I’ve learned to “give’ anything there must first be a willingness to receive it. You cannot give away “good will” toward men, if you aren’t willing to receive such good will, again, being of joyous spirit, means believing is seeing. Because I still believe in Santa, and the Santa image, I am touched by its contagion and infected by the spirit. Because I believe, I not only see the miracles of Christmas and giving all around me, but I become a part of it as well. And I see these realties not as imagined pictures in my head, but as real world proof of the existence of Santa Claus as part of our nature.

New Age wisdom tells us what Santa has shown us for generations. And that is that the energy we give out comes back to us. The lesson here is that it truly is the thought that counts, behind any material gesture. In order to truly receive what is ours, give it away first. Give away what you most desire and watch it come back to you. If you desire money, trust, friendship, forgiveness, comfort, security, these will all befall you merely from a gesture of giving them away freely.

Once again, just a glimpse of what Santa provides and how he provides it, is an energy that ignites a dormant spirit in all of us believers, each and every year.

I look at how famous a young 10 yr old became by starting a collection to help pay for a well for healthy drinking water in a remote area of Africa. At first Ryan believed he only needed to raise $70.00. He did that quite enthusiastically. Unfortunately the actual price tag was more like $70,000. Undaunted, Ryan went back to seeking donations and has since raised more than one million dollars and has been to Africa himself to help in operation, “Ryan’s well.” By giving freely he became quite famous. If you wish to know more, check out ryanswell.ca.

I know myself that when I was humbled by gifts given to me, humility became part of me. When I or Annie and I give from that place of appreciation, humility always comes back to us.

Hooch

Those of you on my Forums have seen my avatar with myself and Hooch. Hooch came to us in an interesting way. Annie and I were in the dog walking program back east before we moved west. Many people would tell us they could never go walking dogs that they knew would be put down. It would be too difficult emotionally they would tell us. This is selfishness and self protection and self absorption at its most obvious. I’m not saying everyone should go and be in the dog walking program. But here is the thing. Dogs we know, are social animals. That is why they live in packs. These dogs at the shelter have no idea that they may be put down. They do however, experience the sense of isolation and neglect by being kept in such a way at such a place. Annie and I shared a joy knowing that for that 45 minutes or so we spent with a dog, walking or playing fetch or whatever, that dog’s day had an element of joy, comfort, and fulfillment. We could not control the fate of an animal but we could contribute to a sense of that animal knowing some joy by such a little bit of energy given from us.

Then one day Annie brought home our newest family member that came to be known as Hooch. Had it not been for the walking program we never would have had the opportunity to have him. To this day when people find out Hooch was a rescue animal, they ask “Why did you choose a Pitbull of all the dogs there?” Annie is always quick to respond in the most honest and sincere tone, “We didn’t choose Hooch, he chose us.” The truth is, making Hooch a part of our family has brought us more joy than any giving of our time and energy to that point in walking and playing with condemned animals. We know we have truly received, much more than we gave by volunteering a little of our time.

Eduardo

Annie and I have adapted a child via Children International. Eduardo is our third sponsored child to date. We get regular updates as to this child’s living conditions and his socioeconomic reality. It’s no coincidence to me that our latest update came while I was mentally considering this Blog and how to illustrate to you all my undying belief in Santa Claus. Eduardo is just about the cutest kid you could see. He is ten years old. He lists his pastimes as playing with his friends and playing basketball. His current living situation is that he has 5 brothers and sisters. The description of his family home is that of one multi-use room for all seven of them. The “home” construction is of concrete block walls and concrete floor. There are no beds! The children sleep on the floor with a mat.

Eduardo’s family's only water source is listed as “a neighbour’s faucet” there are no sinks, showers, basins etc. The total family income by which all seven currently live is estimated to be $80.00. THAT’S PER MONTH FOLKS. Eduardo’s sibling’s ages range from 5 to 15, and their cooking “facility” is listed as a kerosene stove.

Yet this current update comes with a color picture of a very happy and healthy looking Eduardo. Young children seldom know of “lack” Their spirit is indomitable. We tend to take that for granted here.

For Eduardo there are no Christmas wishes of flat screens, picture phones, or IPods. Yet there seems to be a song in his heart.

Once again, for Annie and I giving comes back to us in a form of humility and we learn and know that in every given situation there exists an opportunity for gratitude. We are grateful that we are able to contribute to Eduardo and his family and we are grateful through that experience to be so aware of our own abundance. As Wayne Dyer says, “when your cup runneth over, know enough to stop pouring!”

Our small Santa like gesture to that family translates for them in to comfort and security and food on the table. Knowing that, for us gives us back a certain level of comfort and security as well. How can it not! Again, how can you not believe in Santa, and the joy of giving.

I think now of the cost of that Rolex and how self indulgent it would be. It would provide me with little and give back in energy even less. But to invest that amount of exchange value in to a spirit of giving; to be some tiny form of Santa to someone who knows nothing of him, well that is a gift that keeps giving back.

Other forms of Giving

The above examples I realize may indeed be beyond many people’s capacity or life situation. But there are so many ways that if you should be so infected by the spirit of Santa, you can put that energy of the season out there. Trust me it will come back to you. Remember though, to truly be Santa-like, make the gifts come from a joyous will without expectations of acknowledgement.

This time of year it is so easy and effortless just to pick up some non perishable items at the grocery store and drop them in the basket that goes to the food bank. I like to also partake in what I call “Drive through Generosity” and hope that it will either inspire others to do the same or at least cause a brief moment of pause and appreciation. Just take a minute and go to a drive through like Tim Horton’s or Starbucks. Pay for the car behind you. If their order is too miniscule, then pay for the next two cars behind you. In the Santa spirit, drive off, before any of them know what you have done. The gesture must be without expectation of acknowledgement. Trust me, you will not feel that you have just “wasted” your money. The feeling of generosity is a freeing one for sure.

Annie noticed that Starbucks was having a Christmas book drive. She delivered to them a few brand new pop up books for children about Christmas. To her surprise they gave her a Starbucks gift certificate in return. Annie had no expectation or desire for acknowledgment, yet by giving in such a small way, she received a gift back. (Giving Annie a free coffee at Starbucks is about as perfect a gift as there is for her)

This year we noticed in the local paper a chance to sponsor Christmas meals at the local mission. The cost was ridiculously cheap for a complete festive dinner with all the trimmings for someone in need. After paying for ten, we realized again, based on our own abundance that we really could “give” at a much more meaningful level. (meaningful to us that is to say) We ended up sponsoring 110 meals for Christmas day to people or families who may be in need. What an easy gesture. And it is again an opportunity for a reflection of our own gratitude. Giving is wonderful, but supporting need over desire is even more meaningful.

If you are not a Christmas person I ask you to rethink this position. I implore you to consider the real existence of Santa Claus and all that he represents. I tell you there is a feeling of empowerment in knowing that as adults, we can be a Santa to someone in a small meaningful way that will recreate Santa’s energy one year to the next. Whether Santa is two concerned adults in western Canada that Eduardo will never know, but can appreciate, or whether he is that jolly man with a red suit, bright wide black belt and black boots, both are an acknowledgement that God shows up in a vast array of costumes. You do not need to be religious to experience the joy of the season.

So to all those who do not believe in Santa, or do not believe in the season, please right now, by my asking you, use a little "mental floss" and consider the possibilities. I leave you non believers who are too “grown up” to buy in to such things; I leave you with the following empowering possibility.

Your previous Christmases as non believers are but a memory right now. Future Christmases are only a vision from now. But this current Christmas, right here, right now, if lived well, will make every “previous Christmas” from here on in, a memory of happiness and joy, and will create a vision for all “next Christmases” to be visions of hope and possibilities. And isn’t this what the promise of Santa brings to us all each and every year! This is why I will always believe in Santa.

And if anyone asks you why you beleive in Santa, answer simply "Just BE-Claus!"

And to you all I wish the best of the season, glad tidings, and good will to you and yours. Happy Holidays.