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 but feel that something 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 the children love you," I said.

"Oh, I know they love me and 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 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 man'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 of 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 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 man
can show his 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 lights shine before men that all may see it and
glorify God. This is what is symbolized when the twinkle lights shine on
the tree like hundreds of bright, shining candles, each of them representing
one of God's precious children, their light shining for all to see."

Again, Santa reached into his bag and this time he brought forth a tiny red
and white striped candy 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 the shape 'J' to represent the
precious name of Jesus who came to earth as our Savior. It also represents
the crook of the Good Shepherd which he uses to reach down into the ditches
of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like 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 eternal
life. Teach these things to the children."

Santa brought out a beautiful wreath made of fresh fragrant greenery and
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."

"But where does that leave you Santa?" I asked.

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 at last," I replied.

"That's why I came," said Santa. "You're an adult. If you don't teach the
children these things, then who will?"

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and
when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 11:19 (NIV)

Happy
Holidays