The Magic of Christmas

That is a mighty big chair, I thought when I took this picture two weeks ago at the outlet mall about 50 miles from home. That was also the day the mall was going to light its giant Christmas tree. It’s early November. Isn’t it’s a little early? I thought but then, Christmas has been coming earlier and earlier each year – some place as early as August.

My mom laughed when she saw me taking a picture of the giant chair. “Who sits there?” My aunt asked.

“Santa Claus,” I answered, my mom rolled her eyes like yeah, right.

During the first decade of my life, I knew next to nothing about Christmas except for its big sales in shopping centers. I knew nothing of the origin or why we celebrated it.

My first Christmas in the U.S. was an eye-opener. I learned Christmas was not about the shopping and discounts but about reuniting family and spending time with them. I learned, for children, Christmas is about the food and the presents. There was also someone who’s lactose-intolerant, in a large red suit, and has a large white beard who waits until we’re all asleep on Christmas Eve before sneaking in from the chimney to drop us some presents. 😉

It’s been years since I celebrated a proper Christmas. I even began to question whether or not I still believe in the magic of Santa Claus but recently, something made that dull spark bright again. It was a question my ethics instructor asked during the first week of class. “What do you tell people when they ask you about Santa Claus?”

Some people answered they would answer truthfully, they would tell someone Santa is a fictitious figure and it’s really the parents who fill the stockings. Meanwhile, other said they would answer there is really a Santa Claus. I would answer the same thing. I absolutely believe in Santa Claus even though for the majority of my life, I was taught there’s no such thing as Santa Claus, to me, believing in Santa Claus is like clinging to light when one is feeling despair, like clinging to hope when one feels down and hopeless. Believing in Santa Claus is clinging to a kind of magic that no one can ever take away.

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