"Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most
real things in the world are the things we can't see."
Josh has been struggling for the last several years with whether or not Santa Claus is "real". He doesn't want to be "bamboozled" (as the hobo from the Polar Express would say), but yet in his heart he still wants to believe in the magic of Christmas. This struggle has always weighed heavily on me because it perfectly defines Josh. He wants to believe that there is magic in this world, but he is by nature such a logical person that when the "facts" don't add up he starts to discredit the unseen.
When Josh first started questioning the magic of Santa Claus I had just watched the Polar Express for the first time. I LOVE this movie because I think that it spoke volumes to me about how I truly feel about Christmas. I STILL believe in the magic Santa Claus. I have seen glimpses of him in my children's eyes as they open gifts on Christmas morning. I felt his magic as bank accounts inexplicably have just enough in them each year to make wishes come true. I know Santa is REAL.
As Josh was questioning me last night about the logistics of Christmas Eve, "How does Santa REALLY get to everyone on Christmas Eve?, How does Santa REALLY know what we want for Christmas?", etc..I explained to him that there are things in the world that make absolutely no sense, but exist just the same.
I told Josh that I am not sure if Santa has elves. I do not know his telephone number. I do not know if he makes his toys in a shop or if he buys them at the store. What I DO know, I told him, is that when you stop believing in Santa and his beauty and magic - he stops coming. It is then that his father and I will start purchasing gifts for him at Christmas. I explained to him that I know that it is hard that most of his friends do not believe in Santa Claus anymore. I also told him that, I too, once stopped believing in Santa, but that I found his spirit once again, and that I would never let it go.
All of my other children still believe in the spirit and beauty of Santa Claus, even Andy. I told Josh, that as with all things in life, he will need to decide for himself if he TRULY believes in Santa Claus. I cannot make up his mind for him. The only thing that I can do is to let him know that I believe in the beauty of Santa, and that as the Polar Express says, sometimes the best and most real things in this life are the things that you cannot see and cannot explain - you just have to feel them.
I hope that Josh, as with all of my kids, will always be able to hear the bell ringing at Christmas.
"This bell is a wonderful symbol of the
spirit of Christmas- as am I. Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies
in your heart."
-The Polar Express
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