First an update! I’ve received my first ever royalty check for my first ever book. Exciting! It’s one of those milestones you can’t help but feel super proud about.
Second, my story “Promises,” was accepted into the Spring 2023 Fear Forge Anthology! More updates on that as they occur.
Third! I was awarded the Rising Creator Award on Facebook for my Author page. It seems my “content has received strong audience engagement, while meeting quality, originality, and integrity guidelines.” Woot! I lose it after a week, unless I keep generating content and interactions to maintain my position in the top 2%. We’ll see.
With the holiday season chugging along at full force, and being a parent of two children, my youngest is confronting the possibility that Santa may not exist. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, every child should be allowed to believe in magic for as long as possible. But, on the other hand, our peers can be cruel. So, how do I, as a parent, help my children hold onto the idea of magic and kindness while also giving them the words and confidence to stand up to those who would see them torn down?
To paraphrase a post I saw on Facebook many years ago, I’ve come to the following conclusion:
Santa Claus exists.
Every year, parents sneak around, gathering the gifts their children most want, only to claim they are from a magical being who spends his immortal life working to bring joy and wonder to children all over the globe for no other reason than because he can.
Every year, friends, neighbors, and total strangers dress up as Santa Clause to visit with children of all ages in malls, hospitals, restaurants, stores, and even in loved ones homes, to bring smiles and conjure magic within a brief moment for children and parents alike.
Every year, the USPS organizes Operation Santa where strangers can fulfill the wishes of children all over the country and respond to as many letters to Santa as possible.
While Santa may not be a flesh and blood entity how toils in the frozen tundra of the North Pole, he IS an ideal we all share this time of year. He’s a sense of kindness, peace, love, and generosity we should all strive for, not just at Christmas, but all year long. He is the embodiment of the joy of giving over receiving.
Each of us, in our own way, is Santa Claus. Like a flash of lightning, his presence is felt across the globe. In a single night, parents, friends, and neighbors, all work to perpetuate a myth for children of a selfless man who defies all the laws of nature to deliver joy. That is magic. We create magic. All of us.
Just as we keep our loved ones alive who have passed on with memories and traditions, we can keep the spirit of Santa Claus alive. So, again I say:
Santa Claus exists.
And may he never stop existing for you, either.
Happy Holidays!