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 Stories
we remember as children often impact our adult personalities. For
many of us the Holiday Season is the highlight of the year.
When I was a
little boy on a farm in Southern Minnesota, I remember walking out
to the barn, looking up at the Milky Way and being captivated for
the longest time because I saw “Him.” I saw Santa and his reindeer!
One evening, I
told my older brother and sister what I had seen, and you already
know the response: “Oh, Don, you are such a dreamer!” To this
day I know I really did see that funny little man.
I wanted to
believe so much in Santa and what he stood for.
Santa was the best! He showered everyone unconditionally
with gifts. It was a great disappointment to me when I was forced
to face reality. The feeling of disappointment remained with me
for years.
As a teenager,
my uncle asked me if I could dress up like Santa for his children.
I was elated. It was a memorable experience. I saw the look
in my young cousins’ eyes and recognized those feelings from
many years ago.
As I drove home
that night, I looked up at the star-filled sky. What I saw I would
never forget. I felt
my own spirit being touched in a special way. I realized I
wasn’t just dressing up like Santa, I was Santa and all he
represents. On that night, his spirit became a part of me.
The holiday
season is a time for all of us to dress up and be Santa to all
those in need. Unfortunately, this simple but difficult lesson can
only be understood as we mature:
you can receive anything you want out of life if you first
think unconditionally of others.
So, did I
really see Santa that night?
I know my answer. Today, I am a Grandfather, father and
yes, Santa.
Don Schmitz
is a popular speaker and writer on parenting and grandparenting.
He is the author of The New Face of Grandparenting…Why Parents
Need Their Own Parents and founder of The Grandkidsandme
Foundation and Grandparent Camps. Don holds graduate degrees in
Education, Administration and Human Development. He is the
father to three sons and nine grandchildren. Contact
Don@grandkidsandme.com
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