As we embark on this particular holiday season, I wanted to write on a lighter note to offer a bit of cheer and inspiration. No one can dispute that the world is in an unsettled state.
Even the most optimistic among us struggle to stay that way. With wars, a divided country, a barrage of negative news cycles, and calendars filled with the usual holiday busyness and seasonal commercial overload, how can we retain the optimism essential for our own well-being?
We must stop and remember that the true spirit of the holidays is about relationships and connection with friends and family (even those who might see things differently from us). It is about lending a helping hand to those in our local and greater communities who are less fortunate than we.
To stay optimistic, we must focus on what is within our immediate control. By listening, sharing, and caring, we increase our own well-being quotient, not just for those whom we support. Optimism also springs from having faith that in the end, even in the darkest of days, the best in humankind will somehow prevail.
Reflections
When I was a little girl, this time of year was among my favorite and most magical memories: The Nutcracker, the Christmas lights, and, most of all, waking up on Christmas morning with presents under the tree.
The “fact” that Santa Claus traveled the world and visited all children and still visited me and knew exactly what I wanted (after writing lots of letters, of course) made me feel special and unconditionally loved. Too, in that moment, I felt united with other children around the world, knowing Santa was visiting them and they shared my joy.
Of course, little me did not know that everyone did not celebrate Christmas and that not all kids woke up to a sparkling tree filled with presents. I was under the spell of innocence.
Today, although Santa Claus may have fallen out of favor among certain folks in recent years, he (or perhaps a she or a they, if you prefer) has become pretty much a secular icon available to many faiths. Unfortunately, Santa became over-commercialized.
This holiday season, let’s go back to a slower time and reflect upon Santa’s true essence and how we might channel that magical spark in ourselves, so, perhaps, we can become a Santa for others this year.
The True Spirit of Santa
What was the myth of Santa Claus really about? Let’s break it down:
➥ Unconditional love: He was there for all the children (even if, in reality, he was not) and recognized the unique needs and wishes of each one.
➥ Magic: Honestly, how else could a human or even a superhuman fly all over the world in a sleigh with a bunch of reindeer and deliver presents to all the children of the world within 24 hours? Talk about a high achiever!
➥ Faith: He encouragedus to believe and trust in the unseen: he would come as sure as the sun would rise if …
➥ Goodness: We had to be good, or Santa would not come. Somehow, he knew if this was true. He helped us develop a conscience and take responsibility for our behavior. And, if we did not, he had his spies like the Elf on the Shelf—which parents embraced as a blessing.
➥ Joy and laughter: He knew how to belly laugh with that big “ho, ho, ho!” He was quite a jolly fellow. We could all take a lesson here. According to the Mayo Clinic, “laughter positively stimulates many organs, activates and relieves stress, soothes tension, and improves your immune system.”
➥ Listening, patience, and kindness: He listened patiently to the hopes and wishes of all the children he met.
That Fateful Day
Eventually, came that fateful day when I, like all the children before me who whole-heartedly believed in Santa, came home from school and asked my parents that critical question: Is there really a Santa Claus? My mother, being the literary person she was, read me this essay answering that very question.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (1897)
(The following reprinted from publicdomainreview.org)
In 1897, Dr. Philip O’Hanlon, a coroner’s assistant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, was asked a question by his then eight-year-old daughter, Virginia, which many a parent has been asked before: whether Santa Claus really exists.
O’Hanlon deferred. He suggested Virginia wrote asking the question to one of New York’s most prominent newspapers at the time, The Sun, assuring her that “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.”
Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
The response to Virginia’s letter by one of the paper’s editors, Francis Pharcellus Church, remains the most reprinted editorial ever to run in any newspaper in the English language and found itself the subject of books, a film and television series.
In his response Church goes beyond a simple “yes of course” to explore the philosophical issues behind Virginia’s request to tell her “the truth” and in the process lampoon a certain skepticism which he had found rife in American society since the suffering of the Civil War. His message in short – there is a reality beyond the visible.”
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. ….
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Conclusion
It’s amazing that this piece has endured the test of time, illustrating what I love about literature. Note the date stamp was 1897. Although written “in a skeptical time,” folks did not have the skepticism of the press they have today.
I do not believe anyone today would say if it were in the press, it is true. But that aside, my hope is that you will take from it the absolute best it has to offer.
And that this holiday season, you will add your much-needed magic and light to this world by contributing the “love and generosity and devotion that abound that give life its highest beauty and joy.”
Channel your inner Santa for someone this season. Best wishes for a happy and joyous holiday!
Lydia is a passionate advocate of healthy living. She has launched and positioned many health and wellness-related companies, products, technologies and organizations receiving more than 100 awards nationally and internationally. Her focus in the health sector is specifically on healthy living, aging and longevity. She is a partner and investor in several recognized national brands. She sits on the board of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging whose mission is to eliminate the threat of age-related disease for today’s and future generations. It is the only independent research organization globally dedicated to extending the healthy years of life. Like the scientists at the Buck, Graham envisions it will be possible for people to enjoy life at 95 as much as at 25. To support Buck’s mission, please visit www.buckinstitute.org.