The True Meaning of Christmas

Santa does lots of visits and gives out lots of gifts during the Christmas holiday, but sometimes I am called on to do special deliveries.  On this night, after visiting a church group I was asked to deliver a Secret Santa package.  My instructions were to say it was from “a friend” and I was given two phone numbers and asked to text each one that “Santa was on his way.”  I was given a bag and inside was an envelope (a fairly fat envelope) with an address on it and a small wrapped present.

About 10 minutes before I arrived I pulled off the road and sent the first number the text.  Then about 5 minutes later I pulled over and sent a text to the second number.  The first number texted me back, “Who is this?” 

I pulled up in front of an older looking house which I could see was in need of some repairs and a new paint job.  I knocked on the door and the man who answered was wearing older worn clothes and beyond him I saw one folding chair and a woman in a wheelchair in the front room.

“Merry Christmas,” I said. “This is from a friend.”  Then I handed him the bag.  The man was befuddled and didn’t know what to say, but managed to say, “Thanks.”

I hadn’t gotten very far down the street when I received a text from the lady that said, “Thank you so much, Santa. You made our Christmas very merry!”

I sent the text on to the person who had sent me, and they responded that is why they did it, and I told him that he had found the true meaning of Christmas.

It's amazing to be part of the Christmas Spirit!

Christmastime is for Giving

Santa’s running around town "sleigh" requires gasoline instead of reindeer power.  A couple of nights ago as I was driving home from a party appearance, I noticed a gas station and decided I had better fill up my "sleigh."  

I got out in full costume and a man shouted, “Hey Santa!” and came running over to me.  Before I could put my card in the gas pump machine, he stepped in front of me and put his card in and put "prepay $20 on the machine.  As I thanked him, he smiled and said, “Merry Christmas Santa!” and went
back to his truck and drove away.  

I smiled to think there was still Christmas spirit like this in the world today.  Anyone can be like Santa - even to Santa.  

Giving is the spirit of Christmas.

God Bless Us, Everyone

Recently I was doing a Santa Visit for a local Daycare. I asked the first child what she wanted for Christmas. She said, "Sarah should go first." So Sarah came up and I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She whispered in my ear, "for my baby brother not to have cancer anymore." I told her, "Santa can't take away the cancer but I will talk to your doctors and see what we can to to help him." She gave me a hug and jumped down. 

I asked the next child what he wanted and he whispered, "for Sarah's brother not to have cancer anymore." I repeated the same thing to him that I had said to Sarah. Well the next child came up and I asked her what she wanted and she whispered, "for Sarah's brother not to have cancer anymore." This went on for the whole class of 23 kids. At the end, the teachers were all crying and I was a bit teared up myself. I told the kids that they had found the true meaning of Christmas. It was to care for and love each other.

As I left the room Tiny Tim's words came to my mind as I thought about the children...

"God bless us, everyone!"

Children, the Magic of Christmas

I was doing a number of appearances at a local daycare this week. The kids would sing for their families then I would come in, bells ringing and do a magic trick for them. After this we would do a class picture, then I would hand out candy canes and wish them a merry Christmas. 

On one day as I sat down for the class picture, a younger sister of one of the kids in the class came up and climbed on my lap. The mom came quickly and got her. 

We got ready for the class picture when up she came again climbing on my lap. She was determined to talk to SANTA! I asked them to wait for a minute and I asked her what she wanted for Christmas.  She happily told me she wanted a Disney Dolly. She gave me a hug and returned to her seat (to a loud "awwwww" from the crowd.)

Children are the true Magic of Christmas.

My "Scott Calvin" Moment

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Disney's "The Santa Clause." And recently I had my own Scott Calvin moment:

Children Know...

I was walking into a store in my plain clothes to do a little Christmas shopping. Now I do not grow a beard or moustache to be Santa since I am a full time magical performer the rest of the year. 

Well a little boy came running up to me yelling "Santa, Santa!" He hugged my leg and called me Santa. His mom quickly came up and got him. "I am sorry! He said you had a Santa belly so he thought you were him." I laughed and told her it was all right. I then asked him if he had been a good boy. He said he had. I told him that I knew Santa and would let him know.

Even when I'm not dressed as Santa, I'm still Santa!

Santa is Your Friend

I had the opportunity to be Santa for a local library today. I was sitting there with children and families coming by telling me what they wanted for Christmas and posing for pictures. I had a young teenage girl come up. She was staring at her feet. Her mother was smiling and talking brightly to her. 

She sat on my lap and let her mom and take her picture. Then I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She stared at the floor and I heard a sniffle. As a tear fell and hit my boot she quietly said "to go with you to the North Pole." A little startled and concerned, I asked her why. She responded, "because people are nice there." I lifted her chin and told her I was sorry, but no human had ever been there. She sniffle and said "OK." I quickly told her, "Remember that Mrs. Claus and I love you and we will always be your friends." To this she started to sob and placed her head on my shoulder.

She cried for about a minute and the library helper and her mother came forward to get her. I raised my hand to stop them. After a bit she stopped and said, "thanks Santa." I told her again that Santa loved her and she left with a smile on her face.  I never found out what had bothered her so much, but she seemed to appreciate me telling her that I loved her which touched my heart.

Santa is a friend to everyone.

My "Miracle on 34th Street" Moment

I was appearing as Santa at a party for a company that I've performed at for the last 5 years.  I was sitting there as usual having the kids come tell me what they want for Christmas and posing for pictures, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a young lady in her 20's who came acting very excited to see me.  She stood there talking with her co-workers and excitedly pointing at me.  Finally, when there was a lull in the crowd she eagerly she came and sat on my knee.  I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and I could tell by her accent that she was not from America. So I asked her where she was from originally and she said she was from Austria.

Well, my second language just so happens to be German, so I started to speak to her in her native language much to her surprise!  She quickly responded back to me in kind that she didn't know I spoke German and I responded that of course Santa knows German.  With a big grin and a sparkly tear in her eye, she told me that what she wanted most for Christmas was to go back to Austria to visit.  I didn't exactly know how I could respond to that request, so instead I asked her what her favorite memory was of Christmas back home in Austria.  She got a faraway look in her eyes and told me how she used to love to sing Christmas songs as a child.

Without hardly thinking, I started to sing, "Kling, Gretchen, Kling" (one of the Christmas songs that I knew that German speaking children sang). She immediately joined me and we sang the song together. When we finished, she smiled, clapped her hands and gave me a big hug.  She said that besides going back to Austria, I had just given her the best Christmas gift she could have gotten.

As she walked away, I thought of the scene in the movie, "A Miracle on 34th Street" where Kris Kringle is able to speak to the little Dutch girl and then they sing a Christmas song together in Dutch.  I chuckled to myself.

Sometimes being Santa is serendipitous!

Santa is the Good Guy

Today I was Santa Claus and I made a toddler cry....  Well no, not really - his parents did.  I was Santa for Oakwood Homes in their model home open house.  Benjamin came in with his family to visit Santa, and he walked right up to me and indicated that he wanted up. I picked up this 2 year old little boy and sat him on my knee, and he just sat there.  Not a word did he speak, he just sat there on my lap, happy as you please.  No one else was waiting to see me at the moment, so I did not put him down. I tried to talk to him, but he didn’t respond.  So we just sat there together.

Then the meanest person in the whole world came into the room to remove him from where he was so happy - His Mom!  Oh what screaming and wailing as she took him off my knee. “Snnnaanta help!” was his cry.  Off they went, Benjamin still screaming and reaching out for me, “Snnaanta help!”  Well it finally became quiet, when suddenly from the other room my little friend came running in and LEAPED into my arms.  Not one word did he speak, he just sat there, happy and contented. Then a co-conspirator in the meanness came in and ripped him away from his Snnaanta - his Dad.  The screaming started all over again, but this time, to Santa’s sadness, my little friend was dragged out of the house for good.

It’s fun to be the good guy!

The Real Santa!

Today I went to a local library as Santa Claus to greet the children there. Many of the children told me what they wanted for Christmas including Anna and Elsa dolls, legos and remote controlled trucks among other things. 

Some of them asked me very direct questions, such as is Rudolph real and does his nose really glow and why. I told them Rudolph was indeed real, and asked if they had ever watched those shows about those deep sea fish that glowed in the dark deep or the one with the dangling glowing thing like in "Finding Nemo". I explained they were real and glowed because of a good bacteria that caused the glow, and that is just why Rudolph's nose glows. They were satisfied.

But one of the children sat on my knee and looked up at me with bright piercing blue eyes and said, “Santa, I know that you can’t be everywhere at once so you have lots of helpers.  Last year I saw one of your helpers, and he was pretty good. But it’s so nice to have the real Santa here this year!”  My eyes started to get a little misty and I reached down and gave her a big hug.  Afterward her mother came up to me, and with tears in her eyes said, “you don’t know how much that means to her, because all she has talked about this year is that she was going to see Santa’s helper and that she would never see the real Santa.” She was so pleased that her daughter knew that she had finally seen the real Santa!

Being Santa is a big responsibility!

A Prayer With Santa

I was at a Challenger School doing one of three days worth of Santa appearances there.  As I walked in, beside the Secretary's desk was a sickroom and I looked in and saw a little girl laying on the bed.  I was in full Santa garb so when she saw me she waved, and Santa’s heart (as always around children) melted.  I went to her and pulling a candy cane out of my belt asked her what was wrong, to which she replied, “I'm not feeling too well today. My stomach is sick.”  

I thought I'd take this moment to take her mind off of her pain and ask her what she wanted for Christmas.  She told me the usual – dollies, Barbies, etc.  I was getting ready to leave when she said, “Santa I would feel a lot better if you would say a prayer with me.”  I told her I would be happy to hear one from her.  So she closed her eyes and bowed her head and she offered up a heartfelt prayer which could only could come from a sick little girl.  In it she said, “Heavenly Father, I'm not feeling well right now. But Santa came to visit me and I know that because Santa is here and praying with me, that I will feel better.  Please help me to feel better. Amen.”  A sweet spirit filled the room as she finished her prayer. 

I wished her a Merry Christmas and as I got up to leave I handed her a candy cane.  She laid back and looking at her mom who was in the room with her said, “I will be okay now because Santa came and said a prayer with me.”  I don't know whose eyes were more moist, the mother’s or mine.

Sometimes being Santa brings amazing moments.