I just Might Believe in Santa Claus Again.

Something happened to me this year that may cause me to believe in Santa Claus again. It all started one afternoon this month. 

I was walking into my pharmacy when I saw a Salvation Army volunteer ringing a bell inviting donations for the needy. I usually avoid eye contact with these volunteers, but for some reason I looked him over. He was an older black man with a snow white head of hair, mustache and beard, a remarkable contrast to his ebony skin disfigured by a jagged 2 inch scar on his cheek. He smiled and greeted me with a musical sounding “Merry Christmas.” I offered a meek “merry Christmas” in return. He kept smiling at me giving me the feeling he knew something about me, what I’d been going through lately. 

It had been a hectic season of activities which began with a chaotic Thanksgiving with too much rich food, noise and confusion. Since all of my five children are under eight years old, it felt like bedlam with each of them taking their turn crying and spilling food everywhere. I had escaped to my office for a few quiet moments until Betty found me and requested my presence back in our “Twenty First Century Wild West Show.”

By the end of the day, all I could feel was a splitting headache. The next few days didn’t help with several trips to the noisy stores blaring out their Black Friday Event Items.

Seeing that man’s smile and joyful greeting reminded me that Christmas is a time for smiles and a time for recognizing one’s blessings, which start with Thanksgiving and end with heartfelt gifts to and from our loved ones at Christmas. And in the middle of the gift giving, comes the remembrance of God’s greatest gift to everyone. I saw all these things in that man’s full-faced smile and good wishes. I sensed he read the chaos and confusion in my face and offered again the gifts this season brings to everyone. And he was able to beam joy despite whatever caused the cut on his cheek. 

I obviously read a lot into this interaction, but maybe it planted in me again a seed of belief in the goodness of Christmas as shown in the story of another white-haired, bearded old man. He gives gifts to the children, who still believe, all the way up to the adults who need to feel the magic of Christmas again.