Christmas thought of the day - Santa Claus

i don't ever remember anyone telling me that Santa Claus did not exist.  i suppose if they did tell me, i must not have believed them because there was no traumatic memory from childhood when i was told the "truth" about Santa Claus.  i do remember, specifically, though when one of my childhood friends in the neighborhood told another friend that Santa didn't exist.  She got so upset that my friend was forced, by her parents, to recant her story.

Honestly, i never stopped believing in him as a child and i still believe today.  Yes, i know how the presents get under the tree on Christmas morning.  i know where my parents hid most of Santa's gifts...in a trunk that i know use as a coffee table lol.  But there is just something about the magic of Santa Claus that makes me want to keep believing in him and so i do.

i distinctly remember one Christmas when i was 4 and being so excited for Santa Claus to come down the chimney.  When we were little, Grandmother would stay the night with us on Christmas Eve.  When i look back on it, it was probably to help keep my brother and i in bed while Santa's gifts were pulled out of the trunk.  Anyway, she would sleep in my bed when she stayed over.  i remember her holding me tight and telling me stories while i tried desperately to fall asleep.  Being that excited at 4 years old did not go hand in hand with sleep.  And at one point, i know i heard Santa's sleighbells overhead.  i got so excited that sleep was not an option then.  She did allow me to get out of bed and look out the window to see if i could see Santa.  i looked and looked but never did see him but i knew he was there.  Still, it was fun to try and find him and wonder whether or not he was on our roof and that's why i couldn't see him!

That's a memory that i cherish and carry with me all through the year.  Believing in Santa Claus is not just about presents.  It is about hope.  It is about peace.  It is about giving.  It is about sharing.  It is about knowing that there is good in the world and there are people who exist who want nothing more than to make others lives better.  It is those beliefs that i cling to and that is why i still believe in Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas