"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," said Santa, tears in his eyes.
"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 silver 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
foot steps... 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 twinkling 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 tears gone 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)
Let us remember the true meaning of Christmas this year.
Merry Christmas/ Feliz Navidad/ Buone Natalie/ Joyeux Noel!
(Feel free to copy the images and use them to teach your own children/blog readers/Facebook followers)
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 silver 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
foot steps... 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 twinkling 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.
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?" 
