Havre Nice Day: Santa: Believe it or not

I believe in a Santa, and no, not in that holly jolly Kris Kringle is slipping down my chimney at night kind of way, but in an embodiment of Christmas kind of way.

“Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day. It’s a frame of mind,” said Kris Kringle in “A Miracle on 34th Street.”

I watched the original black and white version of that movie when I was a small boy. I thought it was an unusual film for children due to the entire premise of the film being the world trying to prove Santa Claus wasn’t real — cue the sound of glass shattering.

After the film was over, with teary eyes, I looked to my father and asked, “Dad? You believe in Santa, don’t you?”

My father gave me a gleeful grin and said, “Son, I sure do.”

Every year after that it was a Christmas tradition to watch “A Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and every year after that I asked my father the same question, “Do you believe?”

Far into my rebellious, knuckle-headed, teenage years, traditions began to fade — everyone was so busy during the holidays it was hard for everyone to get together at once. But my father pulled me aside one day and asked me, “Do you believe?”

I looked at him unamused, “No dad, I’m not a kid anymore.”

He looked at me, confused. “I’m not a kid, but I still believe.”

“What?”

“When you’re older you’ll understand,” he told me before walking away.

I didn’t understand then, but now, with Christmas fast approaching, I look toward my daughter for the answer.

Earlier this year I spoke to my wife, her family doesn’t do the whole Santa bit with their kids, and we were discussing if we should raise our daughter to believe in Santa.

I adamantly told her that we should, she rebutted with the, “You shouldn’t lie to your kids,” argument — which is valid.

But that got me thinking, why did I want to raise my daughter to believe in Santa? After a while, I finally understood what my father had told me years before.

Santa is for the children, that childlike wonder where anything is possible — even a-400 pound man in a red suit sliding down the chimney to drop off presents.

It’s that spirit of Christmas — peace on earth, goodwill and all that — that is at the heart and soul of the holidays — you know, besides the birth of Christ — and Santa, I believe, is the embodiment of the spirit of giving. Giving a child the gift of making the world just a little more magical.

“All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away.” — Pa Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”