At this time of year, I tend to find myself so worried about what I am going to give everyone for Christmas! But this year, when budgets have been tight, our family decided no presents because Hawaii was our Christmas, I have looked at Christmas from a different perspective. Three years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Bethlehem, the place of the Savior's birth. I remember singing "Silent Night" on that very spot and could not help but think of the gift we have been given by our Savior, Jesus Christ, who said "Here I am, send me"(Abraham 3:27) and chose to live a mortal life so that he would willingly lose his life to save each one of us. President Thomas S. Monson talks about four gifts we receive from the Father and the Son through this special time that we celebrate "the gift of birth, the gift of peace, the gift of love, and the gift of eternal life" (Thomas S. Monson, “Gifts,” Ensign, May 1993, 59). May we remember these wonderful gifts and all that encompasses them at this time of year, and as President Harold B. Lee said, “Life is God’s gift to man. What we do with our life is our gift to God.” Merry Christmas!!
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The Legend of Santa Claus
Written Christmas 2008 by Kevin E. Nelson
“We told you all along that Dad was Santa!” Mom would later say. I do not remember the day I learned that my Dad was Santa Claus. It was sometime early in grade school. My Dad often dressed up as Santa Claus and would go and visit friends and those who needed to feel the Christmas spirit. I just never put that together when Santa came to our house or to the church Christmas party. But, Dad never seemed to be there at the same time. Later in my childhood, though, I would realize that my parents were right! I know because I became one of his elves, or helpers. Sometimes Dad worked alone. In the days nearing Christmas, he would go out on Kenneth Road, the busy street in front of our house, and hand out candy canes while waving to people and giving his jolly, booming, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” In other instances, however, our family had the honor of being his elves.
One of our family’s Christmas traditions was to go caroling and take cookies or bread to friends. Certain houses were favored not just with a visit from our family but also from the man with the white beard in the red suit. By the time I was in high school, I had enlisted friends to come along on some of these missions. The house I remember best was where John Smith lived. John had Down’s Syndrome and lived in a group home. I had met John at a Boy Scout activity. He had become fast friends with several of us in the troop. He often called us to see how we were doing. He was always very happy when I saw or talked to him. On that first and subsequent caroling trips that stopped at John’s house reminded us all of the true meaning of Christmas. John was ecstatic that Santa had come to his house. We were all greeted with handshakes and hugs. After we sang Christmas songs together and John had a chance to remind Santa his Christmas requests, we had to move on to Santa’s next destination. The visits to John’s house became part of our yearly tradition for several years. The warmth that we felt in our hearts was amplified by the Christmas spirit that Santa and our family brought to John and other friends.
As I now look back on those experiences and others with Santa, many of the questions that perplex children about Santa are answered. For example, what does he do in the off season? A lot of people think that he may take a vacation or get his elves back to work making toys for the next year. Santa is a hard worker, though. Although I never really thought about it as a child, Santa never really took much of a break, except maybe to watch football on New Year’s Day. You see he continues to do just what he did at Christmas, and he starts with his elves. When I look back at my memories with Santa, I wonder how Dad did it all. With a demanding job he coached us in t-ball, cheered at all of our high school basketball games, came to all of our recitals, and took an active interest in virtually every aspect of our lives. I remember Santa coming with me to a sixth grade parent teacher conference, wearing plain clothes because it was the off season, of course. As we walked up Allen Street to Balboa Elementary School he said, “Kevin, you know your grades are going to start counting for college here in a few years.” I do not remember much else from that night, but I still remember what he said. You see Santa’s influence is there in all of the little joys, happiness and dreams of our lives, even those that we do not yet enjoy or even realize that want.
Santa’s work carries on throughout the year because the spirit of Christmas, so emphasized during the holidays, continues on in the hearts of loving parents and children everywhere after the lights come down and the Christmas tree disappears. President Thomas S. Monson has said, “The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the ‘spirit of Christmas,’ we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the ‘Spirit of Christ.’” This is why Santa is never out of a job. Whether he wore the fur trimmed red suit, a business suit or his baseball hat and glove, he was always working hard for me and for others. Years later after Dad passed away, I learned that Santa worked a lot harder than I could have ever imagined. Many of the letters and memories others shared with my Mom in reminiscence and condolence radiated back that same Spirit of love and service to others that we saw through brief glimpses into my Dad’s genius for looking after people. He really did make visits to many lives and homes besides ours. You see, he took much of the same interest and concern in the lives of those he worked with or served at church. Those are my memories of Santa my Dad, and his legend lives on in my mind and heart because, even when he was not wearing the Santa suit, he was working hard at his job all year around.
Written Christmas 2008 by Kevin E. Nelson
“We told you all along that Dad was Santa!” Mom would later say. I do not remember the day I learned that my Dad was Santa Claus. It was sometime early in grade school. My Dad often dressed up as Santa Claus and would go and visit friends and those who needed to feel the Christmas spirit. I just never put that together when Santa came to our house or to the church Christmas party. But, Dad never seemed to be there at the same time. Later in my childhood, though, I would realize that my parents were right! I know because I became one of his elves, or helpers. Sometimes Dad worked alone. In the days nearing Christmas, he would go out on Kenneth Road, the busy street in front of our house, and hand out candy canes while waving to people and giving his jolly, booming, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” In other instances, however, our family had the honor of being his elves.
One of our family’s Christmas traditions was to go caroling and take cookies or bread to friends. Certain houses were favored not just with a visit from our family but also from the man with the white beard in the red suit. By the time I was in high school, I had enlisted friends to come along on some of these missions. The house I remember best was where John Smith lived. John had Down’s Syndrome and lived in a group home. I had met John at a Boy Scout activity. He had become fast friends with several of us in the troop. He often called us to see how we were doing. He was always very happy when I saw or talked to him. On that first and subsequent caroling trips that stopped at John’s house reminded us all of the true meaning of Christmas. John was ecstatic that Santa had come to his house. We were all greeted with handshakes and hugs. After we sang Christmas songs together and John had a chance to remind Santa his Christmas requests, we had to move on to Santa’s next destination. The visits to John’s house became part of our yearly tradition for several years. The warmth that we felt in our hearts was amplified by the Christmas spirit that Santa and our family brought to John and other friends.
As I now look back on those experiences and others with Santa, many of the questions that perplex children about Santa are answered. For example, what does he do in the off season? A lot of people think that he may take a vacation or get his elves back to work making toys for the next year. Santa is a hard worker, though. Although I never really thought about it as a child, Santa never really took much of a break, except maybe to watch football on New Year’s Day. You see he continues to do just what he did at Christmas, and he starts with his elves. When I look back at my memories with Santa, I wonder how Dad did it all. With a demanding job he coached us in t-ball, cheered at all of our high school basketball games, came to all of our recitals, and took an active interest in virtually every aspect of our lives. I remember Santa coming with me to a sixth grade parent teacher conference, wearing plain clothes because it was the off season, of course. As we walked up Allen Street to Balboa Elementary School he said, “Kevin, you know your grades are going to start counting for college here in a few years.” I do not remember much else from that night, but I still remember what he said. You see Santa’s influence is there in all of the little joys, happiness and dreams of our lives, even those that we do not yet enjoy or even realize that want.
Santa’s work carries on throughout the year because the spirit of Christmas, so emphasized during the holidays, continues on in the hearts of loving parents and children everywhere after the lights come down and the Christmas tree disappears. President Thomas S. Monson has said, “The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the ‘spirit of Christmas,’ we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the ‘Spirit of Christ.’” This is why Santa is never out of a job. Whether he wore the fur trimmed red suit, a business suit or his baseball hat and glove, he was always working hard for me and for others. Years later after Dad passed away, I learned that Santa worked a lot harder than I could have ever imagined. Many of the letters and memories others shared with my Mom in reminiscence and condolence radiated back that same Spirit of love and service to others that we saw through brief glimpses into my Dad’s genius for looking after people. He really did make visits to many lives and homes besides ours. You see, he took much of the same interest and concern in the lives of those he worked with or served at church. Those are my memories of Santa my Dad, and his legend lives on in my mind and heart because, even when he was not wearing the Santa suit, he was working hard at his job all year around.
My three brothers sitting on "Santa's" lap at a ward Christmas party in 2004.
