Late one Christmas Eve I sank into my easy chair. Admiring the tree with its
decorations, I couldn't help but feel that something was missing... The kids were in bed,
the gifts were all wrapped, the milk and cookies were in their place for Santa. It wasn't
long before the tiny twinkling tree lights lulled me into a deep sleep.
I don't know how long I slept, but all of a sudden I opened my eyes and there stood
Santa Claus himself next to my Christmas tree.
He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot just as the poem described him.
But he was not the "jolly old elf" of Christmas legend. The man who stood before
me looked sad and disappointed with tears in his eyes.
I had to ask, "Santa, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" "It's the
children," Santa replied sadly. "But the children love you," I said.
"Oh, I know they love me and the gifts I bring them," Santa said. "But the
children of today seem to have somehow missed out on the true spirit of Christmas. It's
not their fault. It's just that the adults, many of them not having been taught
themselves, have forgotten to teach the children."
"Teach them what?" I asked. Santa's kind old face became soft, more
gentle. His eyes began to shine with something more than tears. He spoke softly.
"Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas. Teach them that the part of
Christmas we can see, hear and touch is much more than meets the eye. Teach them the
symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas we now observe. Teach them what
it is they truly represent."
Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny Christmas tree and set it on the
fireplace mantle. "Teach them about the Christmas tree. Green is the second color of
Christmas. The stately evergreen with its unchanging color represents the hope of eternal
life in Jesus. Its needles point heavenward as a reminder that man's thoughts should turn
heavenward as well."
Santa reached into his bag again and pulled out a shiny star and placed it at the
top of the small tree. "The star was the heavenly sign of promise. God promised a
Savior for the world and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise of the
night that Jesus Christ was born. Teach the children that God always fulfills His promises
and that the wise will still seek Him."
"Red," said Santa, "is the first color of Christmas." He pulled
forth a red ornament for the tiny tree. "Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is the color
of the life giving blood that flows through our veins. It is the symbol of God's greatest
gift. Teach the children that Christ gave His life and shed his blood for them that they
might have eternal life. When they see the color red it should remind them of that most
wonderful gift."
Santa found a bell in his pack and placed it on the tree. "Just as lost sheep
are guided to safety by the sound of the bell, it continues to ring today for all to be
guided to the fold. Teach the children to follow the true Shepherd who gave His life for
the sheep."
Santa placed a candle on the mantle and lit it. The soft glow from its one tiny
flame brightened the room. "The glow of the candle represents how man can show his
thanks for the gift of God's Son that Christmas Eve long ago. Teach the children to follow
in Christ's footsteps... to go about doing good. Teach them to let their lights shine
before men that all may see it and glorify God. This is what is symbolized when the
twinkling lights shine on the tree like hundreds of bright, shining candles, each of them
representing one of God's precious children, their light shining for all to see."
Again, Santa reached into his bag and this time he brought forth a tiny red and
white striped candy cane. As he hung it on the tree, he spoke softly, "The candy cane
is a stick of hard, white candy. White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of
Jesus. The shape 'J' to represent the precious name of Jesus who came to earth as our
Savior. It also represents the crook of the Good Shepherd which he uses to reach down into
the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like sheep, have gone astray.
The original candy cane had three small red stripes which are the stripes of the scourging
Jesus received by which we are healed, and a large red stripe that represents the shed
blood of Jesus so that we can have eternal life. Teach these things to the children."
Santa brought out a beautiful wreath made of fresh fragrant greenery and tied with a
bright red bow. "The bow reminds us of the bond of perfection which is love. The
wreath embodies all the good things about Christmas for those with eyes to see and hearts
to understand. It contains the colors of red and green and the heaven turned needles of
the evergreen. The bow tells the story of good will towards all and its color reminds us
of Christ's sacrifice. Even the wreath's very shape is symbolic, representing eternity and
the eternal nature of Christ's love. It is a circle without beginning and without end.
These are the things you must teach the children."
"But where does that leave you Santa?" I asked. The tears gone now from
his eyes, a smile broke over Santa's face. "Why, bless you, my dear," he
laughed. "I, too, am only a symbol. I represent the spirit of family fun and the joy
of giving and receiving. If the children are taught these other things, there is no danger
that I'll ever be forgotten."
"I think I'm beginning to understand at last," I replied. That's why I
came," said Santa. "You're an adult. If you don't teach the children these
things, then who will?"