In the airport yesterday I was sitting near a family with two small children. One child was young enough to still believe in Santa Claus. The other must have been told there is no Santa. They younger of the two kinds was worried that Santa was not going to be able to find them this year since they were not going to be at home. The older son was about to speak up when his mother gave him that, "if you say something to spoil your brother's Christmas, I will think up something really bad to do to you" look. The mother assured her younger son that Santa has been doing this for a long time and he would be able to find them.
When I found out that I might have been lied to about Santa Claus I was a little broken up. I knew it had to be true, but I was still sad. My father took me aside then. I have never thought of my father as a sentimental man. There are a lot of things in this world he has no time for. At that time my father told me something I still think about to this day.
My father told me of course Santa Claus is real. If Santa Claus was not real, why would people break their back working overtime to buy good gifts for their families? If Santa Claus was not real, why would people go buy gifts for kids they do not even know? If Santa Claus was not real, why would so many people give to charity? If Santa Claus was not real, why would people put so much effort into parties for their friends? If Santa Claus was not real, why would people travel all the way a cross the country just to spend a few days with people they love? He told me the Santa Claus is in people's hearts not on the North Pole. I think about this just about every Christmas.
Labels: airport, Christmas, dad, family, Santa Claus, travel
