SANTA & the MYSTERY of LIFE

Santa is of course a fabrication.
He’s a rich tapestry woven from a number of different bits & bobs. Ancient impulses instigated by the sun. Religious mythology. Children’s books. Ad men.

Children exist in a world of magic and emotions. Santa is not just a celebration of a winter holiday season. He is a character that lets parents and children play a game. It’s a game of affection and fun … a game that generates a heaping helping of
A N T I C I P A T I O N!

Santa lets parents and grandparents express their love. He only exists in the short season of the child. But there might be a more serious aspect to the Santa game. Santa gives us insight into our multifaceted human experience. When we are children there is no divide between imaginary and tangible. For a child, the monster in the closet is real. He’s not just a story.

All of us are a little bit afraid of the dark. It’s been deeply wired into us for a reason. Our ancestors had to deal with real monsters that hunted at night. As we develop, we craft a world around us.

At some point the child will discover the line between imagined and experienced. Santa is the iconic Christmas character who will help children delineate this divide. There was life before, when Santa was real. And there is life after, when you discover the deception.

The deception, however, opens the door to more important truths. That stories are made of both facts and fictions. People play parts and play games.

Santa also reveals the more important truth:

You are cherished.

– Tom Grimes

[Triggered by a dreary ole mole who was dissin’ the Jolly Ole Elf and his impact on children, I wrote this in the early morning hours of December 22, 2021]