Santa Claus!

Jolly old Saint Nicholas,

Lean your ear this way!

Don't you tell a single soul

What I'm going to say;

Christmas Eve is coming soon;

Now, you dear old man,

Whisper what you'll bring to me;

Tell me if you can.
When the clock is striking twelve,

When I'm fast asleep,

Down the chimney broad and black,

With your pack you'll creep;

All the stockings you will find Hanging in a row;

Mine will be the shortest one,

You'll be sure to know.
Johnny wants a pair of skates;

Susy wants a dolly;

Nellie wants a story book;

She thinks dolls are folly;

As for me, my little brain

Isn't very bright;

Choose for me,

old Santa Claus,

What you think is right.

Santa Claus. Do you believe in Santa Claus? Or better yet, do your children believe in Santa Claus? This seems to be a touchy subject with some people. I love Santa Claus. St Nicholas. I love the whole idea of him and what he stands for. I love the joy. The fun. (I'm going to attempt to do paragraphs, let's see if Blogger will let me)

My best Christmas as a child was the year I "found out"! My cousin Terry told me. She was older and I guess she thought I should know. I remember going home after being at Grandma's and asking my mom. I remember the look of disappointment on my mom's face, like it happened yesterday. She sat down with me on the stairs and told me the truth. I think I was 1st or 2nd grade. SO, I was 6 or 7. I was shocked that my parents loved us that much to get us "extra" presents. I just felt SO loved. I couldn't wait to help with my brother's gifts, mom let me stay up late to set them out. This was different than the years before watching out the window for a possible sighting. Our Santa set everything out with our stocking, like my stuff would be on a chair, my brother's on the couch, unwrapped. Our Santa brought us a lot. Toys, coloring books, pajamas, clothes. We were blessed.

My brother and his wife have a different attitude towards Santa. When my brother "found out" he cried and cried, he ran upstairs and was mad at our parents. When his wife found out, she, too, was mad that her parents "lied" to her for all those years. SO they do not do Santa for their children. They don't want to lie to them.

Now why would they have such a contrasting view of Santa? What made them view it so differently than the way I understood it?

Now obviously, you've guessed it, we do Santa in our home. I love the pure, honest belief that the children have towards him. They know him as St Nicholas and call him by both names. They believe him to be in Heaven, not the North Pole, or maybe they actually believe the North Pole is part of Heaven for good old St Nick. Jedi, is 8 1/2 and has no questions. At all. He just believes. Ballerina Rosie, is the same way. They know that there is no "Mrs Claus" and he has no children. They know that is all just made up for movies and cuteness.

The other day, I said to Ballerina Rosie, that she'd better be good, or I was going to have to leave a note for Santa. Her response was "Santa lives in Heaven, he sees everything I do, he knows I'm good!" Pure trust. Pure belief.

Santa gets our children one present and stocking stuffers. I don't feel we over-do it. I hope and pray they feel the same way I did when I found out about Santa.

It's hard not to compare this belief in Santa with their pure belief in Jesus. I've heard that is a reason to not do Santa, but Santa is different. There is really a St Nicholas, and we parents just keep his spirit of giving and loving and sharing the love of Jesus alive. St Nicholas is in Heaven and is right there when we call upon him, as is Jesus.

My favorite Christmas decoration is a little 6 inch statue of St Nicholas dressed as Santa Claus kneeling down before Baby Jesus. One of my favorite Christmas books is "Country Angel Christmas" by Tomie de Paola. I think my children believe the real St Nicholas to be much like him, living in Heaven, spreading the love and joy of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, pausing to pray before Him.