Under the cover of early morning darkness, in a rapid fire hushed tone, I asked my brother, “Do you think Santa has been here yet?” From the other twin bed that occupied the room we shared when very young, he answered, “I think so.”
That innocent exchange, is one of my favorite Christmas memories; it embodied my excitement and belief. Although in the early 70’s Christmas had already become commercialized, it wasn’t anything close to how tarnished it is today. Christmas was celebrated, for the great majority, on Christmas or Christmas eve. Stores didn’t put out holiday merchandise in early October and the television wasn’t inundated with the madness that is Black Friday, Cyber Monday or unearthing rock-bottom Christmas deals. If it had, I would’ve bee asking a whole lot more questions about the validity of Christmas, a whole lot earlier. Today’s children learn early that in order to believe they must turn a blind eye to the obviousness of how the holiday works.
Christmas felt special when I was young. It was only by careful planning or divine chance that I was able to catch my favorite Christmas shows on TV. But when I did, I’d feast my eyes on such hallowed shows as The Grinch That Stole Christmas - or, if I was really lucky - the one with the Heat Miser and Snow Miser. These were sacred shows to me back then, now my kids can watch them in July on DVD, or on YouTube.
Although I can no longer remember it, I’m pretty certain that morning, so long ago, I tip toed across our bedroom floor in my flannel nightgown with ruffled cuffs and hem, and peaked outside the door to discover not just one, but a pile of colorful gifts had been placed under our tree by Santa. I didn’t question the feasibility of it, I just enjoyed the magic.
Today, we struggle to give our kids the same sense of magic. We try to employ the same methods our parents once did. But ours are much different children, living in a much different time. I never pushed the belief in Santa on my children. Instead, I let it come about and fall by the wayside on its own accord. I do however, express my believe in the magic of good people, and the divinely powerful force that lives in the ethereal substance that magically makes the earth spin gently on its axis; the same substance that causes one who has so little to give so much, the same substance that prompts one to forfeit their life for another. It’s the same substance that brings two souls together in pure, unconditional love. It is the magic of being in the right place at the right time. It is the same substance that forces a delicate seedling to push through the soil in search of light. Regardless of how unsettling our world has become and the loss of the innocent beliefs we held when young, the magic remains. The magic that was their before, is still there today.
Sane
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