Playing Santa on X'mas and after

Dear Santa, please give my daddy back for Christmas.  Signed, Alfred.”  This is perhaps the shortest and the most heart-rending letter Santa must have received from the scores of letter children pen to him before Christmas in the hope that they get their wishes fulfilled this time of the year.  Little Alfred, in grief before Christmas at the sudden death of his father, had hoped that this jolly man who goes around giving gifts generously to people during Christmas would grant him the gift of his deceased dad.

Sinterklaas or Santa Claus is synonymous with the all the goodness and gifts that flow during Christmas season. He is a universal symbol of giving and in his annual giving spree several people are bestowed with presents aplenty. Yet, this is only one side of the picture. The other side being, that like little Alfred, for a vast majority of people, Santa Claus is an elusive hero.

Grief, illness, loss of a job, mishaps, conflicts and disappointments continue to weigh the multitude even during the Christmas season. And it is such people who need Santa more than the rest. Just as Jesus Christ came into the world in human form for the poor and the lowly, the world today needs Santa from among us who can reach out to the suffering. Implausible as it sounds, this is within our reach, for, in sharing love and spreading cheer, anyone can play Santa. Besides, it does not have to be restricted to the Christmas season. All it takes is to open our hearts to others in need.

American author Oren Arnold gives a sound recommendation on how we could all become Santas, as he lists the many prized gifts we can give others during this season of joy and peace. To quote him, “Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to a customer, service; to all, charity; to every child, a good example; to yourself, respect.”

As Christians commemorate the birth of God born a babe in a lowly stable in Bethlehem, the best way to celebrate this great event would be to take on the spirit of Santa and to reach out to those in need.