Is Santa Claus real?

I don’t remember my exact age.  I was too old to believe in a Santa Claus who slides down chimneys.  But I was not old enough to give up on the old elf altogether.

I decided to challenge my Mom in public.  Right there in the Bon Marche, I asked her if she believed in Santa.   She must have seen my look of doubt when she said, “Yes.”  So, she continued, “See all these people who are so happy to be thinking of others and the gifts they will give.  That is the spirit of Christmas magic.  Santa is that spirit.”

I am approaching my sixty-ninth Christmas.  I still believe in Santa.   Santa is not the guy at the mall in the red suit.  Santa is the magic in the eyes of the child sitting on his lap.  Santa is the spirit of Christmas.

Better yet.  As a Christian, I know that spirit is divine.  The Holy Spirit is a gift from God.  Christmas is a celebration of the gift of Jesus.  

STEVE BLASKA

Sagle