Just a week before Christmas I had
a visitor. This is how it happened. I had just finished the household chores for
the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front
room, and to my surprise, Santa Claus himself stepped out from behind the
Christmas tree. He placed his finger
over his mouth so I would not cry out.
“What are you doing?”, I started to ask, but the words choked up in my
throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. He then answered me with a simple statement
of “Teach the Children”. But what did he
mean? He anticipated my question and with one quick movement, brought forth a
miniature toy bag from behind the tree.
As I stood there bewildered, Santa said again, “Teach the
Children.” Teach them the old meaning of
Christmas…the meanings that Christmas nowadays is forgotten”. I started to say,
“How can I?”, when Santa reached into the bag and pulled out a brilliant shiny
star. “Teach the children the star was a
Heavenly Sign of promise long ago. God
promised a Savior for the world and the star was a fulfillment of the
promise. The countless shining starts at
night, one for each man…now show the burning hope of all mankind.”
Santa gently laid the star upon the
fireplace mantle and drew forth from the bag a glittery red Christmas tree
ornament. “Teach the children that red
is the first color of Christmas. It was
first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood which was shed
for all people by the Savior. Christ
gave his life and shed his blood that every man might have God’s gift of
Eternal life. Red is deep, intense,
vivid…it is the symbol of the gift of God.”
“Teach the children”, he said as he
dislodged a small Christmas tree from the depths of the toy bag. He placed it before the mantle and gently
hung the red ornament on it. The deep
green of the fir tree was a perfect background for the ornament. Here was the second color of Christmas. “ The pure lasting hope of mankind. Green is youthful, hopeful, abundant color of
nature. All the needles point
heavenward…symbols of man’s returning thoughts toward Heaven. The great green tree has been man’s best
friend. It has sheltered him, warmed
him, made beauty for him.
Suddenly I heard a soft tinkling
sound. “Teach the children that as the
last sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring for the man to
return to the fold…it means guidance and return. It further signifies that all are precious in
the eyes of the Lord.
As the soft sound of the bell faded
into the night, Santa drew forth a candle.
He placed it on the mantle and the soft glow from its tiny flame cast a
glow around the darkened room. Odd
shaped shadows slowly danced and weaved upon the walls. “Teach the children,” whispered Santa, “that
the candle shows man’s thanks for the star of long ago. Its small light is the mirror of starlight. At first, candles were placed on the
tree…they were like many glowing stars shining against the dark green. The colored lights have now taken over in
remembrance.”
Santa turned the small Christmas
tree lights on and picked up a gift from under the tree. He pointed to the large bow and said, “A bow
is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of the brotherhood of
man. We should remember that the bow is
tied as men should be tied, all of us together, with the bonds of goodwill
toward each other. Goodwill forever is
the message of the bow.”
Santa slung his bag over his
shoulder and began to reach for the candy cane placed high on the tree. He unfastened it and reached out toward me
with it. “Teach the children that the
candy cane represents the shepherd’s crook.
The crook on the staff helps bring back the strayed sheep to the
flock. The candy cane represents that
helping hand we should show at Christmas time.
The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brothers keepers.”
As Santa looked about the room, a
feeling of satisfaction shone in his face.
He read wonderment in my eyes, and I am sure he sensed admiration for
his night. He reached into his bag and
brought forth a large wreath. He placed
it on the door and said, “Please teach the children that the wreath symbolizes
the eternal nature of love; it never cease, stops, or ends. It is one continuous round of affection. The wreath does double duty. It is made of many colors. It should remind us of all the things of
Christmas. Please teach the children.”
And I might add the singing of
carols, remember the songs the angels joyfully sang on that first Christmas
night. Let us sing with a sweet spirit
of rejoicing.
I shared this today in my talk and a lot of people asked for it so here I'm sharing it with you now too!
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