Is Santa Claus Real?

When I was a parish minister, many young parents asked me if I thought it was OK to tell their children about Santa Claus. They wanted to know if they should tell their children that Santa was real. Let me answer the question by telling this story.

At the close of WW II, my German mother in law packed her two boys, one two years old, the other three, in their last coal delivery truck and fled the advancing Russian army. They drove under the cover of darkness, driving at a snail's pace so as not to run over the other refugees who were fleeing the war on foot. It took three weeks for them to reach the town of Soltau, in the English sector, where they had a distant relative. They were placed in the attic of a family home.

In August, my father in law was released from a Russian POW camp. Walking and hopping trains, he suddenly appeared. When he stepped through the door, he collapsed into the chair in exhaustion.

Shortly before Christmas he got a job working as a waiter at the English army Mess Hall. The pay was minimal, but each night, he emptied the ashtrays and took the cigarette butts home. He took them apart and re-rolled the tobacco into new cigarettes. He then traded them to farmers for food. But as Christmas drew near, things looked bleak. There were no gifts for the boys.

Nevertheless, on Christmas Eve the family went to the forest and cut down a Christmas tree. While the two boys and their mother went to church, their father put candles on the tree. When the boys returned, suddenly there was a knock at the door.

In stepped a man wearing a Santa suit. He carried a large, bulging knapsack over his shoulder. "I heard that you have been good boys all year. Can you say a prayer?"

As they finished their bedtime prayer, Santa opened his knapsack. It was full of home made wooden trucks and toys. He let each boy pick out one favorite toy. They were overwhelmed!

After Santa stomped out of the house, the boys exclaimed, "Was that really Santa Claus?' The two parents stared at each other in disbelief. To this day they do not know who it was, that made those toys and came to their house that night. They did not recognize his voice, nor could they recognize his stature or stride.

So, when people ask me if Santa is real, I tell them this story and I say, "Santa is real, whenever we impersonate him. Whether we wear a Santa suit or not, whenever we give gifts to those in need of being remembered and encouraged, the spirit of Santa lives in us. The same thing is true with Jesus. Jesus only becomes real in this world when we impersonate him'.

For further information about his books, please visit www.densmorereid.com

To return to the column list, Click Here