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 the
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.
"But Santa, the children love you," I said.
"Oh, I know they love me,
and 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 its unchanging color,
represents the hope of eternal life in Jesus.
Its needles point heavenward as a reminder
that mankind'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 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 people can show their 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
people 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.
It also represents the Good Shepherd's crook,
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 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."

I asked,
"But where does that leave you Santa?"
The tearsgone now from his eyes,
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.
If the children are taught these other
things, there is no danger that I'll ever be forgotten."
"I think I'm beginning to understand."
"That's why I came," said Santa.
You're an adult.
If you don't teach the children
these things, then who will?"

Author Unknown