Of all the magical beings in the world, Santa Claus was the best. He could fit enough presents for every child in his amazing, bottomless bag. Writers and Gaming communities had copied it, calling it a bag of holding. Santa chuckled at the appropriation, happy to gift this to the imaginations of everyone everywhere.
He could also control time, enabling him to traverse the world in a single night, seeing to it that all his gifts were delivered in time for Christmas morning.
But, even with all of Santa’s wonderful magic, the rush of Christmas Eve always left him a little breathless. Halfway through his yearly trek around the Earth, he guided his reindeer down to a deserted stretch of pristine snow, far from humankind.
In a glade surrounded by pine trees decorated only in snow, he paused to breathe. Taking out the flask of hot chocolate Mrs. Claus had placed in his sleigh, he breathed in the fresh air, marveling at the true magic of nature on this moonlit Christmas Eve.
He drank his chocolate in silence, a sense of serenity filling him with joy. This stop was Santa’s gift to himself every Christmas, reminding him that his presents were only amusements for their recipients. His true wish for them was that they, like he, would feel the true presence of Christmas and spread love for one another throughout the world.
As Santa’s sleigh rose once again into the air, he called out to the forest below, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
Normally, Saturday stories are for paid subscribers, but I wanted to share this one with everyone. My excuse is that it’s Christmas. I think my paid subscribers will forgive me!
My mother didn’t subscribe to the Christian belief system, yet she embodied the ethos, the spirit of it. Christmas was her favorite time of year. She celebrated it as a time of love and family bonds. And she, as was typical of her, extended those bonds to all comers. It wasn’t unusual to have not only her blood family (and their significant others) in the house at Christmas but also friends and “strays.”
A stray was anyone who might not have somewhere to go at Christmas. They were brought in by anyone who felt they might benefit from good company and a great Christmas dinner. I don’t recall Mom ever turning anyone away at Christmas (or any other time, for that matter), and there was always more than enough food for everyone.
Whatever your beliefs may be, my Christmas wish for you is that you find love and friendship in abundance today and throughout the year. Namaste and Merry Christmas Eve!
Hope you had a Merry Christmas, Dascha!
A sweet story and your mother sounds like she was a beautiful woman. I now see where you get it. To me, Santa Claus is also the embodiment of the ability to believe in something unseen. It is sad that we lose that ability as we grow older. Our wisdom and desire to accumulate knowledge seems to make it impossible to just believe in the magic of a moment or that there is something that can't be explained at work in the universe, something just that just is. When I was about 5, on my way to my aunt's house for Christmas Eve, I looked up in the sky and saw Santa and his reindeer through the eyes of a child. It was such a vivid moment, I still think maybe he was painted on the side of a helicopter except no one saw him but me. Belief of a child, hopefully still alive in hearts everywhere.