This is my “busy” season, decorating homes for Christmas, so I’ve had our gifts bought and wrapped and Christmas cards done by Thanksgiving. But the one thing I have been patiently waiting for is the Santa letter I receive from my grand-nephew each year.  Because… I am Santa.

Finally it arrived! Henry, who is seven, asks before any requests for gifts, how I (Santa) am doing? And of course he wanted to know about Mrs. Claus and the elves. He was concerned if the reindeer were eating enough carrots and moves on to his list.  Henry then ends the letter with “You are the BEST person in the world!”  Man, I now have a huge responsibility to this little human to uphold that adjective.

I need to BE Santa,

walk in his boots and

get in that

white-bearded head…

Besides the list of his accomplishments and the year’s highlights, Henry’s two page letter contained a statement that I chose to center my response around:

“I don’t know how you get to every single child in one night!”

Am I up for the task of explaining this? It’s a query that has intrigued the masses for a millennium?  I explain that there is something magical about the night before Christmas which allows ‘me’ to visit each and every child.  I write “Remember dear Henry, even though you can’t see it or understand it, that doesn’t mean – the magic – doesn’t exist.”

 And then I begin to think…

If it were only that simple for adults, we question, doubt, and analyze the miracles around us. We’ve lost the sparkle I just saw in the eyes of two young boys as they ran into the arms of the Santa in the Home Depot parking lot.  They didn’t care how he got there; just that he was there, in a parking lot, in their neighborhood, on a lawn chair.

When did we lose the belief in the unbelievable; the joy in seeing the sparkle of good in others? Have we forgotten the simple act of lifting people up – like little Henry did in his letter?

“I like Dathan’s voice

I like Mason’s cool attitude

I like Rosalia’s teaching

I like that Druv likes ninjas

I like Leah’s tallness”

Can our sparkle return?  What if we look for the good, the special, and the ‘tallness’ in our family, neighbors or strangers?

Will it take a miracle to have a ‘cool attitude’, be less suspicious, less negative and less selfish?

Even if you don’t believe in this Christian holiday, you’ve got to admit, that this one day seems to be somehow magical; it brings people together to celebrate something other than themselves. It’s sort of miracle that causes a spark.  That can turn into a sparkle.  Then BAM – we’re looking for the good and leaving the negative behind.

So dear Henry keep that sparkle, spread it around. Someday I hope you will realize that all the good you see is really the miracle that Santa and Christmas are all about!

Have a sparkly Christmas!!

Grateful for you,

Sheree and