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TEACH THE CHILDREN
Late one Christmas Eve, I sank back, tired, but content, into my easy
chair. The kids were in bed, the gifts were wrapped, the milk and
cookies waited by the fireplace for Santa. As I sat back admiring the
tree with its decorations, I couldn't help feeling that something
important was missing. It wasn't long before the tiny twinkling tree
lights lulled me to sleep. I don't know how long I slept, but all of
a
sudden I knew that I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes, and you can
imagine
my surprise when I saw Santa Claus, himself, standing next to my
Christmas tree.
He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot just as the poem
described him, but he was not the "jolly old elf" of Christmas
legend.
The man who stood before me looked sad and disappointed. And there
were
tears in his eyes.
"Santa, what's wrong?" I asked, "Why are you crying?"
"It's the children," Santa replied sadly.
"But Santa, the children love you," I said.
"Oh, I know they love me, and they love the gifts I bring them,"
Santa
said, "but the children of today seem to have somehow missed out on
the
true spirit of Christmas. It's not their fault. It's just that the
adults, many of them not having been taught themselves, have
forgotten
to teach the children."
"Teach them what?" I asked.
Santa's kind old face became soft, more gentle. His eyes began to
shine
with something more than tears. He spoke softly. "Teach the children
the
true meaning of Christmas. Teach them that the part of Christmas we
can
see, hear, and touch is much more than meets the eye. Teach them the
symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas which we now
observe. Teach them what it is they truly represent."
Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny Christmas tree and
set
it on my mantle. "Teach them about the Christmas tree. Green is the
second color of Christmas. The stately evergreen, with its unchanging
color, represents the hope of eternal life in Jesus. Its needles
point
heavenward as a reminder that mankind's thoughts should turn
heavenward
as well."
Santa reached into his bag again and pulled out a shiny star and
placed
it at the top of the small tree. "The star was the heavenly sign of
promise. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was the
sign
of the fulfillment of that promise on the night that Jesus Christ was
born. Teach the children that God always fulfills His promises, and
that
wise men still seek Him."
"Red," said Santa, "is the first color of Christmas." "He pulled
forth a
red ornament for the tiny tree. Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is
the
color of the life-giving blood that flows through our veins. It is
the
symbol of God's greatest gift. Teach the children that Christ gave
his
life and shed his blood for them that they might have eternal life.
When
they see the color red, it should remind them of that most wonderful
gift."
Santa found a silver bell in his pack and placed it on the
tree. "Just
as lost sheep are guided to safety by the sound of the bell, it
continues to ring today for all to be guided to the fold. Teach the
children to follow the true Shepherd, who gave His life for the
sheep."
Santa placed a candle on the mantle and lit it. The soft glow from
its
one tiny flame brightened the room. "The glow of the candle
represents
how people can show their thanks for the gift of God's son that
Christmas Eve long ago. Teach the children to follow in Christ's
footsteps...to go about doing good. Teach them to let their light
shine
before people that all may see it and glorify God. This is what's
symbolized when the twinkle lights shine on the tree like hundreds of
bright shining lights, each of them representing one of God's
precious
children's light shining for all to see."
Again Santa reached into his bag and this time he brought forth a
tiny
red and white striped cane. As he hung it on the tree he spoke
softly.
"The candy cane is a stick of hard white candy. White to symbolize
the
virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the
Solid Rock, the foundation of the church, and the firmness of God's
promises. The candy cane form's a "J" to represent the precious name
of
Jesus, who came to earth. It also represents the Good Shepherd's
crook,
which He uses to reach down into all ditches of the world to lift out
the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray. The original
candy cane had three small red stripes, which are the stripes of the
scourging Jesus received by which we are healed, and a large red
stripe
that represents the shed blood of Jesus, so that we can have the
promise
of eternal life. Teach these things to the children."
Santa brought out a beautiful wreath made of fresh, fragrant greenery
tied with a bright red bow. "The bow reminds us of the bond of
perfection, which is love. The wreath embodies all the good things
about
Christmas for those with eyes to see and hearts to understand. It
contains the colors of red and green and the heaven-turned needles of
the evergreen. The bow tells the story of good will towards all and
its
color reminds us of Christ's sacrifice. Even its very shape is
symbolic,
representing eternity and the eternal nature of Christ's love. It is
a
circle, without beginning and without end. These are the things you
must
teach the children."
I asked, "But where does that leave you Santa?"
The tears gone now from his eyes, a smile broke over Santa's
face. "Why
bless you, my dear," he laughed, "I'm only a symbol myself. I
represent
the spirit of family fun and the joy of giving and receiving. If the
children are taught these other things, there is no danger that I'll
ever be forgotten."
"I think I'm beginning to understand."
"That's why I came," said Santa. "You're an adult. If you don't teach
the children these things, then who will?"
- Author Unknown
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