Santa Claus

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You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

He's making a list,
And checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice,
Santa Claus is coming, to town

Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town


Some Christians lament that Santa Claus is usurping Christ in Christmas.  My relationship with Santa has been long and bumpy.  As a child, Santa Claus was demystified before I was born.  My brother had a melt down when my other brother was crying, brother 1 feared that Santa would not give brother 2 any presents.  Santa Claus was unmasked to reassure both of them that presents still were in the plans.  Santa gifts always appeared under the tree but I knew full well where they came from.  No mystery, no threats, no fun.  I decided that Santa was fun and I fully intended to have Santa with our kids.  First born son, Christmas at one-year-old, I had no idea he could throw such a fit.  He saw Santa across the room and threw himself on the ground screaming and kicking his feet...very obvious that Santa was not fun.  Gathered up our sobbing child and exited and never mentioned the red, jolly fellow again.  I discovered that you can have a tree and all the presents and never mention Santa Claus.  When number one son was about 4 years old I was driving him and his two sisters into town.  (We lived out in the country by this time.)  I listened to him explain to his younger sisters about Mr. Christmas and how he showed up at Christmas time then disappeared for the rest of the year.  What to do, what to do?  We also had our own Santa experience getting home late one Christmas eve we found a bag of food and a beautifully wrapped present in our car port.  The tag clearly stated that it was from Santa.  I cried.  It was the year that we paid a buck for a Christmas tree on a Christmas tree lot.  DH cut off bottom branches and drilled holes to put the branches in the gaping holes.  Amazing little tree when he was done.  The main present we had for the kids that year was the present from Santa, a Little People's Tree house.  A toy they played with for years.  We finally decided that Santa's role at our house was he made it possible to give gifts where normally no gift giving would be accepted.  People would let you give a gift in the name of Santa when they would normally refuse since you didn't know them or pride got in the way.  Santa allowed anonymous gift giving.   My respect and love for Santa Claus has grown over the years.  Now, I see him in a new role that I didn't expect.  Christ and all other ideas religious and moral are being tossed out of school across this nation.  Tragedies are happening.  I help at a high school with a day care where I help out sometimes.  I walk in the room and what do I hear, "He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice..."  Yep, Santa Claus is reminding them that it matters if you are naughty or nice.  How you behave makes a difference.  Santa Claus, I decided, can slip into school disguised as a red, jolly fellow and teach that being nice is important.  My favorite statue in my cupboard of angels and fairies is Santa Claus kneeling at Christ manger.  I am still looking for the poem I saw years ago that tells how Santa Claus volunteered to help us remember Christmas when Christ was not allowed.  It is true now.  Santa Claus reminded the little preschoolers that being nice and kind to each other is important and Christ is not allowed.  I learned like so many things in life, Santa Claus is what you make him.  To me, he is a red, jolly fellow that can spread good cheer in places that nobody else can go.  May you find merriness in your Christmas time.