Santa
Claus and The REAL meaning of Christmas
by Susen Mesco, Master Santa Claus
Trainer,
Professional Santa Claus
School Conference, Denver, CO
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 8:18pm
Today I had a long discussion with a
rather forceful business associate… It became rather heated.
The topic of discussion was Santa and the TRUE REASON of Christmas…
To say the least, I was blasted,
fairly heavily, with accusations and comments that I was guilty of helping to
spread the decline of Christianity. Commercialism of course came up.
It took over an hour to lay out what
“we” (Santas and those who train and support them) truly have within our
hearts.
We fully understand that in many
settings, (corporate events, mall settings, parades…)
trying to share our
Christian beliefs and values is NOT part of what we are hired to do, nor is
it appropriate in a public, "commercial" setting.
BUT… by sharing love and laughter,
hugs and the gift of family togetherness, special gifts and song, stories of
the season from traditional to more religious, ways for “Santa” to demonstrate
what the season is all about?
Don’t we listen to the whispers of
children, who often bring up topics we address with them, far beyond “wish
lists”?
Don’t we bring families closer
together as parents & grandparents share a magical tradition with the next
generations?
Don’t we exemplify LOVE and
HAPPINESS?
Are we not Christian in all of our
mannerism without expressing the words of scripture?
We know it and we show it, even if
we are usually not able to “say” it outright.
Santa is not added into the symbols
of the season to detract from the Biblical aspect of the season! In fact,
moreso than fruit cake or snowmen or jingling bells, SANTA CLAUS IS ABLE to
express the core reason for the season by his gentle & loving manner, his
gift distribution beyond material greed and his spreading of cheer and
happiness to complete strangers.
This coming season, all of us need
to focus on the REAL REASON for the SEASON and find as many ways as possible to
SHOW every life we touch that WE DO know and honor CHRISTmas!
Susen Mesco
Master Santa Claus Trainer since
1983!
