What Does Being Santa Mean to Me?
Updated: Sep 27, 2020
At the heart of humanity there is goodness, kindness, charity, forgiveness, understanding, manners, and love. This can be found within every single one of us, but only a handful of people choose to use these virtues on a regular basis. Even a smaller, select group of people choose to live their life as though these things are the rules in which to live by... and it is those people, those that truly and honestly live by those rules, that are called Santa Claus.
So many people think being Santa Claus is all about putting on a red suit, a beard and saying “Ho Ho Ho”; but it is so much more than that. To be Santa Claus, you must be kind and understanding. You must have a gentle demeanor, yet be exuberant and fun-loving at heart. Santa Claus is a storyteller and magic- maker. But at the core of it all, we are magical Christmas counselors. Many people come to Santa Claus to talk about their problems, their hopes and their dreams. Some will come with their dreams dashed, simply looking for a glimpse of happiness and magic.
As Santa Claus, I have become a magical counselor to many, and I have talked to some who have experienced major life altering tragedies. In that moment it is my job to listen, but it is my mission to to get that person (child and adult, alike) to smile - not a fake smile, but a smile that comes from their heart and soul. When that smile comes, it is a spiritual transformation that you can see through their eyes. This is what I call Christmas magic. Though I am unable to help everyone, it does not stop me from putting my entire mind, heart, soul and every ounce of my being, into being Santa Claus, and not just during the Christmas holiday, but within every moment, every day, of every year.
Allow me to recount a situation (one of many) that happened several years ago, that has led me to where I am today. An adorable little girl, looking perfectly happy, came to sit with Santa to say what she wanted for Christmas. She said, “Santa Claus, I want to tell you what I want for Christmas. I know that my Mommy and Daddy told me that I can't have these things for Christmas because we don't have the money to buy them, but I want to tell you anyway.” The moment that little girl said those words, I felt useless. She continued to tell me what she wanted for Christmas, and at the end, as I did with every child, I handed her a piece of candy and a coloring book. But in that moment, I decided that I could not allow her to believe that there is no magic in the world. I excused myself from my chair for a moment and I told the photographer I would be right back. I took the little girl’s parents aside, handed them a $100 and said, “This to purchase Christmas gifts for that beautiful little girl of yours. She deserves some magic. God bless you all and have a Merry Christmas”. Later that night I laid awake thinking about all the children who do not get what they ask for when sitting on Santa’s lap, and hoped that one day I would be able to do more to help – and not just one child, but many children around the world. From that point on, I made it my mission to become the real Santa Claus.
I wish I could afford to purchase clothing, toys and every day needful things, for every child in world, but that unfortunately is not realistic. So instead, Mrs. Claus and I started to research toy distributors and ways to get toys at a low price. With that, we opened a toy shop online called MyPersonalSanta.com. A place
where we could offer toys and other Christmas gift ideas for a low price, that anyone could afford. We not only wanted to have a store where the prices are low, but we wanted to create a magical experience as well, which is why everything that comes from our store looks as if it came directly from the North Pole. For Mrs. Claus and me, we never wanted to stop there; we have had dreams of expanding MyPersonalSanta.com further, with a real Naughty Nice List, as well as other fun ways to interact with Santa and Mrs. Claus throughout the entire year. We eventually want to create Santa's Castle, with reindeer, a workshop and have a hands-on Elf experience for the children. It is our dream and hope to make the world a better, happier place, full of Christmas magic! Then came the pandemic, and the need for yearlong magic has become even more apparent. Children have been stuck in their homes, away from their friends, and even some of their family. Life and the world as they know it, has changed. With Christmas right around the corner, how are children going see Santa this year? How is Santa going to know what each child wants? How are parents going to get their child’s picture with Santa? With that thought in mind, we not only started to expand MyPersonalSanta.com with My Personal Santa’s Nice List Tracker™ (coming October 2020!), but we also decided to partner with the How to Save Christmas™ initiative created by renowned artist Larry Hersberger and his partner Ela Bednarek, where I have been selected as one of the Top 100 Miracle Santa’s, to help save Christmas this year.
So, at the beginning I asked, what does being Santa Claus mean to me? Yes, it encompasses everything I have described so far, but most importantly it is about being the magic every person, not just every child, wants and needs in their life. With that, I say to you the reader, live every day as an opportunity to bring love, joy and happiness into this world, regardless of what is going on around you. If you can do that, I promise from my heart to not only do the same, but to truly live by my mission and bring Santa Claus to life. God Bless you all!