Late one Christmas Eve, I sank back,
tired but content, into my
easy chair. The kids were in bed, the gifts
were wrapped, the milk and
cookies waited by the
fireplace for Santa.
As I sat back admiring the tree with its decorations,
I couldn't help feeling that something
important was missing. It wasn't 
long before the tiny, twinkling
tree lights lulled me to sleep.
I don't know how long I slept,
but all of a sudden I knew that
I wasn't alone.
I opened my eyes, and you can
imagine my surprise when I saw
Santa Claus himself standing
next to my Christmas tree.
He was dressed
all in fur from
his head to his 
foot just as
poem described him,
but he was not the
"jolly old elf" of Christmas legend. The man who stood
before me looked sad and disappointed. And there were
tears in his eyes.
"Santa, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Why are you crying?"
"It's the children." Santa
replied sadly.
they love the gifts I bring
them," Santa said, "but the
children of today seem to
have somehow missed out on
the true spirit of Christmas.
It's not their fault. It's
just that the adults,
many of them not having
been taught themselves,
have forgotten to teach
the children."
"Teach them what?" I asked.
Santa's kind old face became
soft, more gentle. His eyes
began to shine with something
more than tears. He spoke softly.
"Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas.
Teach them that the part of Christmas we can see, hear,
and touch is much more than meets the eye. Teach them the
symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas
which we now observe. Teach them what it is they truly
represent."
Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a 
tiny Christmas tree and set it on my mantle.
"Teach them about the Christmas tree.
Green is the second color of Christmas.
The stately evergreen,
with it's unchanging color,
represents the hope of eternal life in Jesus.
It's needles point heavenward as a reminder
that man's thoughts should turn
heavenward as well."
Santa reached into his bag again
and pulled out a shiny star and placed it at
the top of the small tree.
"The star was the heavenly sign
of promise. God promised a Savior
for the world and the star was
the sign of the fulfillment of
that promise on the night that
Jesus Christ was born.
Teach the children that God
always fulfills his promises,
and that wise men still seek Him."
"Red," said Santa, "is the first color of Christmas."
He pulled forth a red ornament for the tiny tree. 
"Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is the
color of the life-giving blood that flows
through our veins. It is the symbol of
God's greatest gift. Teach the children
that Christ gave his life and shed his
blood for them that they might have
eternal life. When they see the color
red it should remind them of that most wonderful gift."
Santa found a silver bell in his pack and placed it on
the tree. "Just as lost sheep are guided 
to safety by the sound of the bell, it
continues to ring today for all to be
guided to the fold. Teach the children
to follow the true Shepherd, who gave
His life for the sheep."
Santa placed a candle on the mantle and lit it. The
soft glow from its one tiny flame brightened the room.
"The glow of the candle represents how man
can show his thanks for the gift of God's
son that Christmas Eve long ago. Teach
the children to follow in Christ's
footsteps. To go about doing good.
Teach them to let their light so
shine before men that all may see
it and glorify God. This is what
is symbolized when the twinkle lights
shine on the tree like hundreds of
bright, shining candles, each of them representing
one of God's precious children, their light shining
for all to see."
Again Santa reached into his bag and this time he 
brought forth a tiny red and white striped cane.
As he hung it on the tree he spoke softly.
"The candy cane is a stick of hard white candy.
White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless
nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the
Solid Rock, the foundation of the church, and
the firmness of God's promises. The candy cane
is in the form of a "J" to represent the
precious name of Jesus, who came to earth
as our Savior. It also represents the
crook of the Good Shepherd, which He uses
to reach down into the ditches of the world to lift out
the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.
The original candy cane had three small red stripes,
which are the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by
which we are healed, and a large red stripe that
represents the shed blood of Jesus, so that we can have
the promise of eternal life.
Teach these things to the children."
Santa brought out a beautiful wreath
made of fresh, fragrant greenery and
tied with a bright red bow. "The bow
reminds us of the bond of perfection,
which is love." "The wreath embodies
all the good things about Christmas
for those with eyes to see and hearts
to understand. It contains the colors
of red and green and the heaven-turned
needles of the evergreen. The bow tells
the story of good will towards all and 
its color reminds us of Christ's sacrifice.
Even its very shape is symbolic, representing eternity and
the eternal nature of Christ's love. It is a circle,
without beginning and without end.
These are the things you must teach the children."
"But where does that leave you Santa?" I asked.
If the children are
"I think I'm
"That's why I came,"
a smile broke over Santa's face.
"Why bless you, my dear," he laughed,
"I'm only a symbol myself. I represent the
spirit of family fun and the
joy of giving and receiving.
taught these other things
there is no danger that
I'll ever be forgotten."
beginning to understand
at last." I replied.
said Santa. "You're an
adult. If you don't
teach the children these
things, then who will?"
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