This year for Christmas I want the new Mary Kay Malibu Barbie deluxe kit with a pink Cadillac she can drive around with Ken, some new princess costumes, a pony named Scarlet, and maybe a person to clean up after the pony so I don't have to.

     I haven't been naughty once. I have been really good…ok good enough, (don't believe what my little sister says) and in case you actually do check the list twice then I have left you some fresh slice-and-bake chocolate chip cookies and milk to ease your mind right by the tree where you can drop the presents off. I have told my Dad to turn off the fireplace so you aren’t burned but the heater is on if you are chilly. Thank you very much.

Love,
Haven

     Don't we all remember writing notes to Santa around this time of year for all the special toys we wanted? And getting all excited Christmas morning to come down and see what he actually brought us. Disappointed that we never got that pony, but shortly forgetting about it once we saw that Barbie Deluxe Dream House and our stockings full of candy.

     I remember the time that I truly "found out" about Santa Claus. During the month of December I was having terrible leg cramps, so I went to the doctor and he gave me some cream to help. Occasionally I would wake up in the middle of the night and have my mom help me put the cream on. On Christmas Eve one year it hurt really badly and I thought to myself, "It is WAY too early for Santa to be here in California, so I will just go wake my mom up, put the cream on, and go right to bed." I thought it was a good plan so I headed for my parents room. But on the way to their bedroom I looked over the balcony and saw my parents setting up toys. I was very shocked and surprised; maybe Santa had forgotten to assemble them or something.

     My Mom saw me and told me to go into her room. While putting the cream on she told me that, yes, it was her and my dad who got the toys and put them up, but to not tell my little sister Clancy. I asked, "Does Tucker know this??" And they told me that he had known for about a year now. I was kind of disappointed but happy that I knew something other kids didn"t know, and that I still got the toys.

     Now, in looking back I am glad that they said there was a Santa Claus. I don’t think it would be that much fun if they told their 4 year old that Santa Claus wasn't real and that it was in reality them. Yet I have heard other sides to this story.

     Some say that it is wrong to tell our children about Santa, that it is basically lying to them. Teaching them that sometimes it is ok and that deceiving people for fun is alright. Letting them grow up to not trust their parents because they caught them lying about a person who was actually fictional.

     Some go as far to say that Santa is basically Satan, for when you jumble the letters up that is what you get. And that he is in a red suit, just as we picture Satan sometimes.

     One can certainly argue that it is taking the focus off of Jesus, who is the real reason for the season, and making someone else "the giver" of things instead of praising Jesus for his birth.

     But some parents have found a way to enjoy Santa while still making Jesus the focus of the celebration. When their children are young enough to still look forward to Santa Claus, and yet old enough to enjoy a good historical narrative, they share the following story (which is from the ADVENTure of Christmas book.)

     "Once upon a time, in about the third century, in the city of Myra in modern-day Turkey, there was a young man by the name of Nicholas. As a lad, Nicholas loved God and at an early age showed signs of becoming a strong Christian leader. By the time he was a teenager, he was often called the "Boy Bishop" and was greatly loved by everyone in the community. Nicholas' family was very wealthy, and from the moment he received his inheritance Nicholas began to give it away to the poor and needy. He especially loved to give gifts to children, though he always did it secretly.

     The best-known tale of his generosity involves three though sisters who were too poor to pay their wedding dowries. Nicholas wanted to help, but he didn’t want to receive any credit for the act of charity. Legend has it that Nicholas climbed on top the roof of their house and threw a gold coin down the chimney. The coin landed in the oldest girls' stocking as it was hanging beside the fireplace to dry. The second daughter's dowry was provided in this same mysterious way. So when the time came for the youngest girl to be married, her father hid himself on the roof and waited. Nicholas' secret was revealed and he was loved even more than before.

     Hundreds of years later, this good bishop was declared as Saint Nicholas, pronounced Sinter Klaas by the Dutch. Today he is known far and wide as Santa Claus. You may have also heard the name Kris Kringle. This comes from the Dutch word Christkindl, meaning "Christ Child". Although this name is often used interchangeable with Santa Claus, it was originally created in an attempt to refocus people's attention on Jesus as the real gift-giver. The truth is that Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, and Kris Kringle all reveal the giving heart of God, who is the original Father of Christmas."