Can Santa clause still bring out the inner child in all of us?
I don’t really know when I stopped believing in Santa Clause; I am not even sure that I stopped believing--in the idea at least. The icon of a gift giver has been an establishment of winter solstice celebrations for centuries. Though children may have outgrown the literal image of Santa, the idea of him still progresses throughout generations. The myth of this man has become the spirit of the Christmas Holiday.
The main criticism of the Santa Clause legend is that it is a tool used by the corporate America to take advantage of the average consumer. However, for the first time that I can remember I have to give kudos to this institution. Through the usage of this image they have assisted in perpetuating the myth. While the yearly task of Santa goes hand in hand with purchasing of goods, it is also responsible for bringing out the inner child in all of us.
If we think back to when we were children and we counted down to Christmas, there was a reason for our anticipation: For the magical moment when a jolly old man in a red suit would come down our chimney, filling our homes with toys. It was the magic of this old man bringing us things that made us stay up all night when we were supposed to be sleeping. These are the things that make the holiday what it is to many children.
My friend Lily grew up believing in Santa with unique traditions created by her father to prove that he was a real man. In Lily’s family they not only put out the traditional milk and cookies, they also left a pipe filled with tobacco. When the children got up in the morning they were amazed to find that not only had Santa eaten the cookies but he also smoked the pipe. When the children got older and began to doubt Santa’s existence their father went to great measures to keep that belief alive. One year he put on his military boots, walked through ash and then the living room, leaving footprints behind. When the children woke up they saw that Santa had been there--the doubt was postponed for another year.
The world of the child is a beautiful thing. Lily, now a mother herself, has a desire to recreate the magic her father created for her so many years ago. Perhaps it is the inner child that struggles against the reality of adulthood to keep alive those days when it was possible for a man to arrive on our roof with reindeer carrying toys. Maybe for at least one time each year that inner child wins. Maybe it needs to win.
