After reading a story by a woman who questioned why Christians taught their children about Santa Claus, Lou “Santa” Bertone had to respond.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Already have an account? Log in to continue. Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
Please log in to continue |
After reading a story by a woman who questioned why Christians taught their children about Santa Claus, Lou “Santa” Bertone had to respond.
The woman said she often wondered how churches could have Santa show up to promote the birth of Jesus with a lie.
In reply to this, Santa wrote the following letter:
Around this time every year, the age-old questions still seem to raise their heads.
Is there a Santa Claus?
Does Santa exist?
Is Santa Claus real?
The answer is a resounding YES!
Santa Claus did and still does exist. He is real. How can anyone say that something or someone who is so universally accepted and loved throughout the world is not real?
A person who exudes happiness and joy, has been portrayed in so many movies and written about in so many books and poems has to be real.
Just the sound of his name or the sight of someone portraying him generates happiness to young and old alike.
Saying that Santa Claus does not exist is like saying your deceased parents, grandparents or ancestors did not exist. Yet, their memory lives on in your thoughts and in your prayers every single day.
Well, I am here to tell you that Santa Claus did exist. His given name was Nicklaus. He was religious from an early age and devoted his life to Christianity. He remains the patron saint of archers, sailors and most importantly, children.
Nicklaus was famous for his generous gifts to the poor. In one particular story, Nicklaus is said to have helped a poor father with three daughters. The father was worried that he had no money with which to see his daughters married. When Nicklaus heard of the father’s fear, he determined to help him. One night, after the family went to bed, Nicklaus placed a bag of gold in each daughter’s stocking, hung by the fireplace to dry.
These gifts led to the gift giving and stockings by the fire tradition we adhere to now.
In the Netherlands and in Belgium, the name is pronounced Sinterklass. When his legend was brought to this country with the immigrants, the name evolved to Santa Claus.
Now, we all know the reason for the season and the importance of keeping Christ in Christmas. At the same time, there is no need to diminish a child’s fantasies and dreams. There is room for both. Children learn when they use their imagination. Teach them to be excited about both reasons.
Santa Claus, to this day, promotes love, good behavior, respect and most importantly, giving from the heart. Now, the sleigh and eight tiny reindeer might be a stretch, but all of the presents do get delivered in one single night. Don’t they? Think about it. Believe! Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Love Santa