COVER STORY

“Daddy, daddy...daddy!” Our 9-year-old is forced to scream out at me to get my attention (I’m working on being more present). “Is Santa real?”

Oh, boy. Did that just happen? Yup. It did... and it was right in front of our 3-year-old. Oh, boy.

What would you do?

This is what I did... further examination.

In the moment that it took me to think of what to do next, I realized in a profound way that Christmas and Santa Claus (and all other Holidays celebrated all over the world around this time) are simply celebrations of light.

What you’re about to read has no basis in fact. It’s simply what I think from my singular perspective.

Before you read further, look outside. Chances are, it’s dark.

“Of course Santa is real.” I said firmly and with a hint of shock in my voice so as to deter

Was I right? “Light,” I say to my boys, “isn’t just something you can see.”

You can imagine the look in their eyes. One is bewildered. The other is nodding in agreement. The latter being the younger.

“Light is a feeling, too.” I declare. “And that’s what Santa is.”

“What?!” They reply in unison.

I pause for effect. Their faces haven’t budged. They look like confused Baroque “That’s right,” I affirm. “Christmas is the season of light, of giving, of thinking of others, of being grateful to God for your wonderful little lives.”

Their facial expressions begin to soften and I can see a level of understanding soaking into their little, sponge-like brains.

“Light - or ‘Lux’,” I say to them as I raise my right index finger high into the air, “is also another way to describe knowledge, understanding, or knowing things to be true.”

They’re still with me.

“To shine a light on something is to say you’ve made others aware of it in a positive way,” I explain. “We all have light in us and we can all shine our light to help others.”

Now they’re looking at their palms with big smiles on their faces thinking they’re super heroes.

“What I mean is, we can all choose to be nice,” I continue. “During Christmas, everyone tries to be a little nicer than they are during the rest of the year.”

“Why can’t everyone just be nice all the time?” Asks our youngest.

“Yeah, and why can’t we get presents all year, too?” Adds our eldest.

I’m hoping I’ve dodged a bullet here until...

“So, what about Santa?” Asks our eldest. “Is he real or not?”

“Ask your Mother,” I say as I exit stage left.

From our family to yours, on behalf of my wife and our boys, we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful and prosperous New Year.