“Is there a Santa Claus?”  Virginia O’Hanlon asked the New York Sun in 1897.  The Sun’s answer is a classic that still resonates 128 years later.

My own answer to this question is, like the Sun’s answer, nuanced.

I followed the usual pattern of believing in Santa, becoming a Santa skeptic, becoming Santa, and finally having the hair and belly that makes me look a bit like the jolly old elf.  I’m a tad tall to be an elf and I don’t have a beard, but otherwise…

A few years back, I had Santa drop into my shop one summer day so I could take a look at his computer.  I guess writing out “naughty” and “nice” lists by hand had given way to the modern age.  Until that day, I did not realize that becoming Santa was a career option.

The origins of Santa Claus date back to St.  Nicholas, a third century Bishop in what is now Turkey.  His generosity to the poor and children became legend.  His tradition lives on in untold numbers of “Secret Santas,” like the one detailed by Steve Hartman.

Today, some folks are local versions of the Secret Santa.  I know a few of them and they will remain nameless.  Some folks give through their church, synagogue, or favorite non-profit group.  Each of us is a little bit better when we care enough about others to lend a hand with no expectation of anything in return.

If I could, I’d capture what makes things seem brighter for a few days around Christmas and spread that brightness throughout the year.  As you celebrate the holiday season in your own faith tradition, please do your part to brighten someone else’s day.

Coming full circle, I can join the Sun’s Frank P. Church back in 1897 in confirming his existence.  Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  He is much larger than the cartoon character or Coca-Cola depiction that our commercial culture has described.  In our own ways, we need to show a little bit of Santa in the way we act each day.

 

Rob