Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Mark's Sunshine Published in Online Journal)

by Mark Johnson

Our Mark Johnson delivered this as Sunshine at Monday's meeting. It also appears today, Friday, in the online journal "Like the Dew."

Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukah, Happy Holidays.

It is the time of year for joy, renewing friendships, celebrating our families, confirming our faith, and enjoying the season. For children, it is also a time for what the playwrights and screenwriters call “the willful suspension of disbelief.”

It’s time for Santa Claus.

When she was 7-years old, my daughter Joanna appeared before me and said “Daddy, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course my angel, my princess, love of my life, you can ask me anything you want.”

“Daddy, is there a Santa Claus?”

She didn’t have to ask me that one. However, Rebecca and I had decided that when she popped The Question we would tell her the truth. So I said:

“Do you mean is there a guy in a red suit who comes down the chimney we don’t have, leaves you the presents you’ve asked for including a full working farm complete with a John Deere tractor and a goat, goes back up the chimney we don’t have, gets on a sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer, takes toys to a zillion kids, eats 80 tons of chocolate chip cookies, and makes it home to the North Pole in under 24 hours?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.”

“No, there’s not.”

“You and Mom do it, right?”

“Yep.”

“I thought so.” And off she went.

I had a revelation that day that has changed the way I view the world. It occurred to me that no one has ever proved to a moral certainty that there is no Santa Claus. I’m not talking about the “yes, Virginia” Santa, I mean the real deal.

Think about it. Just because you don’t believe something doesn’t mean it’s not true.

It’s when you accept the possibility of things that you open the door to wonder, to the child locked inside, to a different way of seeing the world.

We aren’t strangers to accepting possibilities; our religions are built on it. It’s called faith. We are constantly accepting beliefs and facts that cannot be proved to a moral certainty.

When you accept the possibility that you’ll get the promotion, make the sale, close the deal, take that vacation to Kuala Lumpur, things will change. Why? Because you have crossed over to the world of the possible.

That’s my Christmas present for you. It’s the chance to see the world in a new light and to derive joy from the wonder.

Is there a Santa Claus? I don’t know. That’s between you and him. But I’ll tell you this: I’m not going to be surprised if the doorbell rings one day and there’s a guy in a red suit on the front steps who wants to borrow a cup of reindeer food.

Merry Christmas.