Why does discovering that Santa isn’t real always turn children into grown-ups? Why does it strip the magic from Christmas, while somehow feeling right?
Sometimes, growing up can be so enticing that we forget to occasionally be children. As a college student, I find myself doing this entirely too much. It is so easy to get wrapped up in everything around us, all the excitement of not being a kid anymore, that we forget what made childhood so special. So unique.
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The first Christmas I spent without Santa was amazing. I felt like an adult, like knowing Santa’s secret instantly made me a grown-up. Santa Claus was for babies, and I no longer fit that description. I sit here now and wonder why I wanted to grow up so fast.
There is nothing like waking up at 5am on Christmas morning, bursting with eagerness and excitement. There is nothing wrong with writing letters to Santa (how else will he knows exactly what you want?!) There is nothing wrong with feeling a little magic in Christmas. So why do we let those feelings fade just because the actions begin to?
Eventually, you realize that Santa Claus isn’t really for babies at all. Santa Claus can, and should, be for everyone, and he is not always a big guy in a red suit. Santa Claus brings magic to a world that so desperately needs it.
Santa is the feeling of love during the holidays for those who need it the most. He is the warmth and light in a world that can be so dark. He is the spirit of giving when society becomes so selfish. There is a reason that Christmas always seems to change the atmosphere of communities. People tend to give more and take less, and they begin to appreciate everything and everyone they love. Why this cannot be the case year round still remains a universal mystery, but at least we have the Holiday season. Santa Claus is not a person, he is a feeling.
Santa Claus has become a silly tale, meant to get children to listen to their parents and eat their vegetables. We have made him obsolete and dismissed it as a part of growing up. It is about time we bring him back. In the middle of a world in turmoil, we could all use a little more magic.
Spend this holiday season with a child. Watch their face when they see a Santa at the mall, or when they write their own letter. Appreciate the excitement and the joy that goes into every holiday activity. Pull it back into your own life, let yourself believe in good again.
Start believing in Santa again. Start believing in magic and thinking like a child. Start living with more imagination and less reality. Look around you and find beauty in everyday things. Be spontaneous and be loving. Be kind and be humble. Live through the eyes of a child, it could just make reality that much better. It’s time we all started believing in Santa Claus again.
