Santa Claus Is For One And All

 

I am celebrating the spirit of Christmas with the #UnwrapChristmas blog chain. Thank you Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan for passing the baton of Christmas joy and spirit to me. Idea is to pass on the Christmas cheer from one to other by sharing our musings on what Christmas means to us.  

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It was the same time last year. Dinner was over and we were about to call it a day. I heard some tussle between my son and daughter. Brushing it off as just another war of words, I did not pay much attention. It’s a usual scene that either the elder bro or the little sis pulls the pranks on other and they end up with a war of words. And it usually dies out with a laughter or “katti” ranting the air in their bedroom.

That day, however, it was little beyond that. The little one knocked on our bedroom door with a sobbing. As she came near and hugged me, I could sense that there was a great emotional upheaval happening inside the little head. “There is no Santa, I know. You all are cheating me. You are doing all this to make sure that I am a good girl all through out the year. Is it not Aai?”, grumbled the troubled soul.

“Why this thought, all of sudden dear?”, I checked, taking a little cautious approach.

“Dada (elder brother) told me while I was hanging my socks”, she replied.

Now I knew who the culprit was. The elder one having crossed his age of believing in Santa Claus distributing the gifts, had polluted the mind of the little one.

The moment was precious, gingerly hanging between the belief and doubt, of faith and distrust.  It could have shattered the little one’s emotional world or would have fortified it. All hanged in the balance, with my answer.

Wiping tears off her cheeks, I first kissed her. With firm words, I responded, “The Santa Claus was real, is real and will always be. He rewards small and big in different ways if one had been good throughout the year. Just go ahead and hang your socks.”

Coming straight from mother, the answer was a sign of the victory for the little one. By this time, the elder one also had entered the room. The little one turned around with a twirl and saw ‘Dada’. Sticking tongue out, waving hands animatedly and squinting her eyes, she mocked at him. The elder one stood with hands folded and raised eyebrows. He waited till she was out of the room.

“Prove that Aai”, darted the elder one at me.

Signalling him to come and sit next to me on the bed, I said, “I need not prove it. You already have felt the presence of Santa in your life too.”

“When and how?”, came the doubt laden response.

“When you were a child, the Santa was the one with a red hat, riding the reindeer.  He bought the goodies that you had thought of as gifts. He wore a pleasing smile. And to earn those gifts you had tried best to be a good boy through out the year. Growing up, the habit of being good or doing good was ingrained in your character, courtesy Santa. And those good deeds have returned to you in one form or the other as the gift”.

“Like?”, quizzed he, in a tone which informed me that the doubt was waning away and faith had made an entry into his world with firm steps.

“Remember you fell down on the road while riding your cycle after stumbling on fallen branch. As you were trying to get up on your feet, the bruises pained you. The vegetables that you had bought from the market were strewn on the road. A hand held out in front of you to get you on your feet. Same hands helped you collect and put the vegetables back into your bag. Did you know him? Did he not wear a smiling face? Was he not the Santa for you at that time to gift you the helping hand when you needed the most. Was it not the gift of that moment?”

A smile line prevailed on his face and he nodded in affirmation. I felt as if a little pixie dust was showered on to him and it did its magic. He sat there next to me for another minute or so. I believe many Santa faces might have flashed in front of his eyes and he was feeling grateful. “You are right Aai. There is a Santa”, he said in a very positive tone. Continuing his gaze at nothing in particular he added, “And you know Aai, even I have been Santa to some!” Giving me a good night kiss he went back to his room.

I was happy that the faith about the goodness in the world had won the battle.

All these memories returned to me this year, when the little one was excited when she got the circular about the Christmas party from her school. She was excited to hang the socks again and had whispered in my ears that she had requested Santa to gift her 20 comic books if she had been a good girl all through out the year! The Christmas joy and cheer continues in our household and I am sure it will forever!!!

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; The reward of the faith is to see what you believe”, said Saint Augustine. I believe in it whole heartedly, do you?

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This post marks the end of the #UnwrapChristmas Blog chain and the beginning of Christmas cheer ahead. I am sure, dear readers that you had pleasure reading and reflecting on all the posts in the chain. I wish you and your family "Merry Christams" and "A Happy New Year"! Let the spirit of Christmas lasts in your life forever!!!

Linking this post to #MondayMommyMomments by Dr Amrita Basu of HealthwealthBridge.

All pictures courtesy Pixabay

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