Why I Still Believe

It's no surprise to those who know me that I'm a big fan of ole' SC, Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Father Christmas, you get the idea. I've believed in Santa for... well, all of my life. By the time I was old enough to understand that my parents actually bought and set out the presents, it no longer mattered to me who Santa was. For a majority of my life, my parents struggled financially. There were times when they both worked two jobs and there were years at a time when my father worked his day job from 8-5 and then taught evening college 3-4 nights a week from 6-10. And there were many months when paying our lunch money seemed like an impossible task for them. But every year, Christmas brought magic to our otherwise unremarkable household. Christmas came bustling and jingling, parading and caroling right through our home each and every year. There was never a December 25th that came and went without the magic of Santa Claus! So it's no suprise that I've always expected my own children to believe in jolly old Saint Nick. Of course they've asked the age old question, "Is Santa really real?" And every year, my answer has been the same, "All of your life people are going to try and tell you what to believe. They'll tell you there's no Santa, no Easter Bunny, no Heaven or Hell. Some will even say there is no God. But it's up to you to decide what you believe." If you want to go to heaven, first you have to know it waits. If you want magic, you have to believe it's there, and you have to be willing to accept it when it appears.
This year has been especially difficult for our family financially. I haven't worked in over a year and we've had to budget every penny that's been spent, leaving very little for holidays or birthdays. It is not unlike many years I knew growing up. And so tonight as I went through a mental check list of my children's gifts, I remembered why I still believed in the magic of Santa. If it weren't for his giving spirit - this Patron Saint of children... my parents might not have been able to bring his magic to our home all those years ago. If it weren't for Sinterklaas, this year my husband and I might not have found that same magic in our home. So it's not the man himself who appears on Christmas morning, but what he stands for that never ceases to appear. The gifts we give afterall, are in remembrance of the gift of Christ. As we received, so may we give. Merry Christmas