Santa 2016

Dear Santa,

Merry Christmas! I know it’s been a year since I last wrote. It’s difficult to maintain a friendship communicating just once a year. Santa, are you one of those guys who believe it’s “Out of sight, out of mind,’ or rather do you subscribe to ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder?” Either way, a letter beats the modern-day equivalent of texting or email.

I suspect that this isn’t the sort of letter you usually get at the North Pole. You will notice I don’t have a long list of things I want (toys or otherwise), and I am not going to lie to you about being good.

Let’s start with the noticeably absent list of wants. Wants and needs usually don’t occupy the same space, as there really are just a few things a person needs in life. Maslow illustrated that in his famous pyramid in 1943 (I am curious – what did he ask for as a child?). My point is that I have everything I need from food and shelter to security, friendships and more. 

Even though I’m not asking you to deliver anything, if you have time when you fly by the house stop in and we can talk (I will try and stay awake this time). I will have cookies and hot chocolate out, plus you can use the bathroom to freshen up if you like. I can imagine it could be a long night otherwise.

You will notice that this year’s cookies are low-fat oatmeal and raisin, instead of the usual sugar cookies rolled out in the shape of you. Why it’s true that no one has heard of a skinny Santa, it’s also true that a morbidly obese one can’t live forever (or can you?). There must be room in the middle between skinny and fat.

Perhaps mortality isn’t a concern for you. I know it is for me; the sand in the hourglass eventually runs out. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not old, and I don’t feel old. I have friends who are in their sixties and seventies, and they’re not old either. To grow up doesn’t mean you have to grow old.

I remember one Christmas when I got what must have been one of the last toys my parents bought for me. It was a battery powered toy razor (just like Dad’s electric, but without the blades). It was a toy for a boy who was perhaps too old for toys and too young for the things of adults. I was in the middle. Once again I find myself in the middle, middle age. I don’t need more stuff; I am more interested in ways to save time and make memories. Will you have any of those in your sleigh?

Oh yes, I almost forgot the second piece. Have I been good? I’ll give you the same answer my grandson gave me when I asked him that question a couple weeks ago. “Right now I am.” Sometimes it’s still all about the present.

Please forgive me for the long pause between letters Mr. Clause. Have a blessed Christmas.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14 (KJV)