An Engaged Merry Christmas
I need my Christmas memories to really help me dig into the holiday. My focus of Christmas is the birth of Jesus however the nostalgia, traditions and memories are a very human element of this sacred holiday. It’s like the difference between the promise to love someone and that wonderful warm feeling that starts you down the path to that promise.
I was once Santa Claus, twice. In high school, I played Santa Claus for the elementary students on the Friday before we went to Christmas break. I didn’t know what to expect, however I found out why people portray old Saint Nick, because it is pretty awesome.
Listening to the children’s wishes made me understand how important this conversation was for a little child. Their gift requests were very similar, but their reactions were not. Some were awestruck while others were petrified. I did my best to match my level of energy to each little child, however I found that it was best to dial down the “ho-ho-ho” stuff and just talk to them. When I entered or left each classroom, I could break out the jollier, noisy version of the old elf. I think the best part of the day was being “backstage” to the last day of school. I got to visit with the teachers and see what happened in the office while everyone else was in class. It was a nice day.
I played Santa later in life too, as part of my job. I was working at KKAQ radio during the Christmas of 1988 and was asked to answer the “Letters to Santa” in my best Claus voice. It was fun for me as I gave “Letters to Santa” two layers that would be fulfilling to the child essayist and to the adults who were listening. I opened and closed each session with something mildly humorous for adults and then read the letters as they were written.
I was also doing sports play by play at the time and I had a basketball game up north the same evening as “Letters to Santa”. I started out for that evening’s basketball game with all of the letters in my hand and then stopped in Newfolden. I parked downtown and went into the old telephone booth and called the station. I then went on the air and delivered Santa’s answers to all of those requests that had been written prior to Christmas. When I finished, Santa Claus got into his Dodge Power Wagon and went to the basketball game.
I think both of my stints as Santa Claus had one thing in common, I was involved in something at Christmas. I feel for those who are depressed during the holidays as it makes the loneliness they experience all year more apparent as others gather to celebrate. I think the way to eliminate loneliness and depression is to get involved; go to a Christmas concert, serve a community meal, ring the Red Kettle bell or choose a church and get involved. My wish for you is a Merry Christmas; an involved, engaged Merry Christmas.
