The night was closing in as the children got tucked into their beds, with hopeful smiles spread across their faces. They slowly began to close their eyes as they opened their ears, listening for the sound of the reindeer on the roof. Maybe they would hear the Fat Man coming down the chimney. They bounced between thinking about all the gifts on their list and if their name was going to be on the naughty list. A reasonable thought, considering most children are naughty and everyone knew it. That’s why the parents used the story in the first place- to keep their kids under control.

This was nothing new to Santa of course; he was in on it. Not many years before, there was a pact drawn together between the country’s biggest companies and Santa. They would all team up, using Santa as their main advertiser and marketing tool. The parents would have to use him in order to control and manage their kid’s behavior around the holidays and the companies would make a huge profit. It helped everyone, plus it made the church happy because they said they would use the holiday to truly celebrate Jesus’ birth. It was an amazing plan to be honest, and the human race fed off a system of judgment, therefore the image of Santa fit perfectly. They were addicted to this mindset. What was another symbol to remind them of their continuing failure and need to be “good?"

That is, until Charis stepped into the picture. As years went by, the Santa family was replaced by each generation, everyone vowing to keep the family secret. It wasn’t too difficult considering the amount of wealth it produced.. The family business had been booming with no signs of slowing down. But Charis, the newest son to the family, felt like something was wrong. He didn’t like the way the family ran or the dirty hands they had from their involvement in this corruption. More importantly, he hated the concept of having judgment being the driving factor of humanity. In his mind, the people shouldn’t be oppressed by a naughty or nice list, but rather, Santa should be a symbol of acceptance even when you are naughty. People run on judgment 365 days of the year— maybe they could get a day off for once.

Charis kept it close to his chest, knowing how much it meant to his family. Eventually it needed to be brought up, and this year was going to be it. He was finally old enough to do his first Christmas run. The closer it got the more he needed to express how he felt.

“Well Charis, you excited for this year? The elves are getting close to their projected amount of toys. That’s always something that would get my heart pumping when I was gearing up for my turn.” Travis, Charis’ Uncle prodded at the new Santa.

“Actually, you know what, I’ve been thinking and meaning to talk to you guys. Since my time is coming up faster than I thought it would, what if for once we gave everyone toys and gifts?” Charis nervously asked as he sat in front of his parents, grandparents and Uncle.

“What do you mean, son? That is precisely what we do, every year!” Jonathan spoke up, confused by what his son was asking.

“I know, however, we use the naughty or nice list. We only give toys to those on the nice list, and coal for the naughty. I mean, why not give the naughty gifts as well?” Charis was trying to ask with a tone as if he hadn’t been thinking about this for years. Hopefully they thought it had randomly came to his mind. He figured he would give them the chance to stop this madness before he would go forward with his plan of The Great Reveal. His heart started beating faster as the plan he had been brewing for months began to play out.

“Well, that isn’t how it works son. You know that. The kids get what they have earned — it has always worked for us. Why would we reward those kids that haven’t warranted one?” Jonathan truly seemed to be attempting to understand his son.

“But think about that, all of those kids are what we call “bad”! Just because the other ones have covered it up doesn’t make them any “nicer” than the others. Surely you know this. You raised me! They all need a break from always having to worry about their behavior. We just add to it.” Charis noticed his voice was starting to raise, emotion beginning to topple over as he tried to relax.

“Son, judgment is what makes the world go round. This isn’t up for debate. You need to calm yourself and start getting yourself ready for the trip to come.” It was obvious the conversation was over as Jonathan and the rest of the family stood up and left the room, leaving Charis sitting alone. Charis knew what this meant; the plan continued on. It was time to expose to the world to who Santa really was.

///

Charis woke up, reaching for his alarm clock. Flopping his arm around until he felt the snooze button, he opened his eyes realizing he didn’t have time to sleep in. As soon as he realized it, Jonathan burst into his room.

“Charis! Let’s go, it’s show time! We have to get moving now!” Jonathan came over and started taking the covers off of Charis.

“Alright, alright! I’m up! Let me get ready, I’ll be down right after.” Jonathan left the room cautiously, wondering if he should stay to rush Charis or just let him be.

Charis took a shower and got dressed in his thermals �— he knew he would want those underneath the big suit he was about to have on for hours and hours. Once he was sure he would be warm enough, he walked over to the glass container where the red suit was hanging. Opening the glass door, he reached in and touched the material of the suit. Although he was about to expose everything this suit stood for, he understood how much this suit meant to a lot of people. While it was filled with the dirty tactics of control through the balancing act of naughty and nice, it also represented a time of joy and peace for many. Even among the light the holiday brought in, it never exposed the darkness that was surrounding it. With a smirk on his face, he felt a little excitement come over him about the mission ahead. He reminded himself that the fact that so many were in love with the symbolism of this suit was the very reason he needed to go forward with his mission. The light would soon spread throughout the darkness, revealing what’s been hiding in the shadows.

He stepped into the suit and pulled the jacket around him. The white trim actually looked decent on him. Buttoning everything, he then walked over to the mirror. He always hoped it wouldn’t come to this. He always hoped that he would be able to talk some sense into his family. However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

He opened the door to his room, checking the hallway for any signs of life. Seeing none, he closed the door again and went back to his dresser. Out of the bottom drawer, underneath neatly folded clothes, he pulled out a folder full of papers. Hiding them inside his jacket, he decided it was time to get this show on the road.

He headed downstairs, where it appeared the whole family was waiting for him. As they cheered him on, he made his way outside where all of the elves stood, creating a pathway for him to his sleigh. They all celebrated his first trip as well. Charis knew the plight that these elves had just been through. He knew they were only rooting for him because his father had ordered them to do so. The elves had been with them for a long time. Soon, they would be free as well.

Walking up to the sleigh, he saw all the reindeer lined up. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course Rudolph were looking ready to go. Charis had grown a close relationship with these reindeer, ever since he was a child. He couldn’t wait to set them free to live and enjoy the wildlife they were made to enjoy. Instead they were forced year in and year out to work for the dirty hands of the corporation of Santa. He grabbed a pail of carrots sitting by the sleigh and began to feed them — they would need the strength for the night ahead.

“Are you all ready, son?” Jonathan walked down the elf line, looking more excited than anyone else this morning.

“I’m as ready as I’m going to be. It’s going to be a long trip.” Charis tried to make it sound like he was looking forward to the job he was supposed to do, yet found it difficult to keep up the charade.

“Remember, there are directions and a guidebook if you have any questions or need help. You can also reach us at anytime — the phone on the sleigh connects directly to our operating system and will notify us immediately. I’m so proud of you, Charis. You are making the family proud and beginning a tradition you will pass on as well! What you said before- about the kids and whatever- you can’t think about that on this trip. You must be focused. Judgment is the only thing that makes this work — we run on it. Our family has been doing this for generations now. It must be continued. Son, you are a part of something bigger than you even know right now.” Jonathan didn’t seem to understand that that was exactly what bothered Charis. He would know soon enough.

“Thanks Dad. Everything is on the sleigh?” Charis walked over to the sleigh, and there it was. All rolled up perfectly, the Naughty and Nice List. Every year it made Charis sick when it was published. He saw the names of the kids on the so-called good list, who really were just good at covering up. The whole year they acted and pretended just to make sure they got their place on the list. All the while they were secretly just as naughty as the rest of the list. At least the naughty kids had the guts to admit who they were in their letters, knowing they didn’t have any hope; they still requested gifts from Santa.

“Yes, everything is set up for you. Make sure you do not lose that list; it is imperative that you make sure to follow that accurately. Other than that, I think you are ready to go! Best of luck, son.” Jonathan gave his son a hug and backed away from the sleigh.

“Merry Christmas everyone!” Charis shouted to his family as he hopped on the sleigh, whipping the reindeer into action. The sleigh started to glide across the ice as the reindeer pushed their way forward. As speed kept building up, the reindeer’s feet started to lift up off the ground. Eventually the sleigh was off the ground as well. Charis was used to this from training, but it felt different this time. This time he had purpose. He had a plan.

///

Charis set the last gift down under the tree with a sigh, exhausted from all the travels. He looked over at the milk and cookies on the table the children had left out. He left them like he did at all the other houses; no offering or sacrifice was needed. It was insult to injury to hang judgment over them and then to also request an offering for the hard work of judging the people.

Climbing back into his sleigh, he pulled out his file and his video camera. It was now time to finish the job. The first part was finished. Instead of leaving coal for all the naughty kids, he left them the gifts they desired. He figured the naughty needed love too, so he left the coal on the sleigh. Christmas should be about those that don’t deserve it receiving love, not the other way around. Now for the last step; he pressed record on his camera, aiming it at himself.

He shuffled through the files which contained all of the Santa secrets. One by one, he exposed the lies of the corporation and how they teamed up to play the people. He laid out how they use judgment to rule the people, then use their money to get rich as well. He exposed how they used the elves against their will to make their toys and the unethical ways they treated and kept their reindeer, keeping them from living in the wild. Listing everyone in the Santa family, he went through one by one showing how they themselves are naughty. Charis had been with this family for his whole life; he knew everything about them. He knew about the affairs, the scandals, the lying, the unspeakable things that they did to keep their secrets hidden. File by file, he listed everything, so the people could know the playing field was level. After listing everything he had on them, he then exposed himself as being a part of the corruption as well.

“I am not far from these people; I am one of them as well. Judgment falls on everyone and we know that; we live that everyday. Christmas should not be about vindictive judgment, but about grace for those of us who have found our way to the wrong side of the list. If we are honest, that is all of us, so this year Santa changed it up. This year the list is irrelevant — the naughty have received what they shouldn’t have. For this one day, we can live in this space where our actions don’t define us.” Charis reached over and grabbed the list that had been hanging over the people. He pulled a lighter from his pocket and, looking towards the camera, lit the corner of the list, letting it burn away. “This Christmas we say goodbye to the verdicts and the judge, Santa.”

Charis turned the camera off and uploaded his video online, sending it to every news outlet and social media site he could. “Dear Santa, Suck my Chestnuts” would be a title most certain to grab people’s attention, and it did. The video spread everywhere as the world woke up to a different kind of morning than they were used to. People’s reactions were different, some obviously loving the grace they were receiving. However, some were unhappy about the scoreboard being shut off for one day of the year. Oh, how they loved their score-keeping.

Charis rode off into the night, knowing that he had freed the people from the weight of judgment and welcomed them into a new kind of love. At least just for today, the world would know what it was like to get what they don’t deserve. For once they could know what it was like to live free of judgment.