Dear Elle,
You have been asking me lately “Is Santa real?”
I have been thinking a lot about what I want to tell you. I decided to write
down my answer for you so that I can say it just right and you can read it over
and over again, if you have questions.
So, is Santa real?
The answer is yes. Santa is real, but not in the way that you think. There is
no one Santa. Santa is not a man at the North Pole that gives gifts to all the
children.
Rather Santa is more of a symbol that represents giving, kindness, love and
service. The old, fat man in a red suit is a symbol for all of those good things.
And mom, dad, aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas want to be a part of
the giving and kindness and service, so we are on Santa’s team. Dad and I fill
your stockings with treats and gifts, and we bring you presents on Christmas
morning. You don’t hear us because we do it late at night and we are quiet as
a mouse. We faithfully carry out the tradition of Santa every year with love in
our hearts. People like me and daddy help Santa do a job that would otherwise
be impossible for one man.
We say the gifts are from Santa because we don’t want to take credit for the
presents. Giving is what brings us joy, not the credit for the giving; we just
want you to feel love and magic on Christmas morning. That is what Grandma
Kerry did for me and Grandma Pam did for dad and what their parents did for
them.
Someday you will do the same for your children. You will love seeing their little
faces light up Christmas morning as they see their gifts, just like we love seeing
your face light up. You will grow to love picking out presents for your children;
you will love the sleepless nights before each Christmas as you try to get all the
gifts ready, and you will love the anticipation of what your children will find
from Santa.
This won’t make you Santa, though. Just like it doesn’t make me and dad
Santa. Santa is bigger than any one person, and his work has gone on longer
than any of us have lived. What Santa represents is simple, but powerful. It is
more than a story you read in a book and more than a movie you watch on TV.