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 The True Meaning
of Christmas
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 feeling
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...and 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. It's
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 who was born 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 twinkly 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 shiny 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 the Good Shepherd 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 again 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?"
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