You

Can Have A

Wonderful

Christmas

Santa Claus

and

Sharla Race

Copyright Page

You Can Have A Wonderful Christmas

Santa Claus and Sharla Race

First paperback edition

Published 2014

ISBN: 978-1907119361

© Sharla Race and Tigmor Books

All rights reserved. To use any section of this book in any format requires permission from the publisher.

Publisher: Tigmor Books

www.tigmorbooks.co.uk

Contents

Copyright Page

Santa’s Visit

Welcome

1 Your Christmas

2 Meaning

Appreciation and Wishes

The Meaning of Your Christmas

Avoiding Christmas

3 Traditions

A Traditional Christmas

A Christian Christmas

A Secular Christmas

World Wide Christmas

Your Traditions

4 Family

No family

Adult Children

Illness and Death

Divorce

Abuse

The Traditional Family Christmas

5 Money

Gifts

Food

A Budget of Zero

6 Children/No Children

Christmas with Children

Christmas Without Children

7 Santa

The Wishing Law

8 Your New Christmas

Meaning

Traditions

Christmas Cards

Family

Money

Gifts

Honesty

End Word

Resources

The Nativity Story

Christmas Quotations

Christmas Jokes

Christmas Drawing Ideas

Poems and Carols

Questions and Answers

Santa’s Visit

One of the strangest days of my life was Tuesday January 7, 2014. It was a grey day—cloudy, damp, and cold. I was sitting at the kitchen table musing on very little when a knock at the back door (never used by visitors) startled me.

My visitor was a very troubled looking older man who introduced himself as Santa Claus and asked me to spare a few hours of my time for a conversation with him. Yes, of course, my immediate reaction was to close the door but I didn’t. I have often been asked why I didn’t and the only thing I can tell you is that as quickly as the instinct to shut the door arose it simply fell away, and I knew I was okay, he was okay, everything was okay.

Over tea and toast, coffee and left over Christmas cake, hot chocolate and cookies, and more tea we talked. Well… Santa talked and I listened and took as many notes as I possibly could.

Santa was deeply concerned that many people were unhappy at Christmas, that some got into debt, and that so many were confused about the meaning of Christmas.

He wanted you to know that, regardless of your age, how much money you have, what you believe, where you live, you can have a wonderful Christmas this year and every year.

Sharla

Welcome

If Christmas is always a happy and peaceful time for you then you don’t need this book. If Christmas is, in any way, a problem for you then read on…

The expectations that arise around Christmas can often turn the holiday into a stressful time for many people but it really doesn’t have to be that way. This book will guide you through the process of understanding Christmas so that it can be a wonderful time for you, regardless of your circumstances.

Nobody else can change your Christmas for you but you can. Read this book in its entirety or dip into it—use it in whatever way works for you. Take the bits that you like and use them and if there are some bits you don’t like simply ignore them. Have fun!

*****

Unless it says differently, all the quotations in this book are directly from Santa.

1 Your Christmas

“Christmas is a happy time yet so many people spend it grumbling, complaining, and even arguing. It is not good and it is not necessary. Christmas can be fun, happy and peaceful for everyone.”

Take yourself back to last Christmas…

For a few moments, take yourself on a mental journey through the whole of your last Christmas from whenever it started to whenever it ended for you. Seriously, close your eyes and experience your last Christmas.

Okay. Now get some paper and write down a list of ten things that you didn’t like. If you can’t think of ten, that’s fine. If you can think of more than ten then list the ten you disliked the most.

Now, on a different sheet make a list of ten things you did like. Take as long as you need until you have ten things on your list.

Okay, so there were some things that you liked and others that you didn’t. Now, rather than wasting your energy on exploring the things you didn’t like, you are going to immediately transform your Christmas.

Mentally walk yourself through last Christmas but change it so that it is how you would have liked it to be. Keep the same events and time frame but imagine how your experience of it could have been different. Don’t rush this, take as long as you need and allow yourself to experience the more positive emotions.

Did your changes involve other people doing things differently? Were some people no longer part of your Christmas? Did others respond to you in a nicer way?

Do you think that somebody else needs to do something different to make your Christmas better? Really? Are your sure that someone else has control over what you do, over how you spend Christmas, over how you feel?

“People so often blame another person for their own unhappiness and that is never the case. If they want a happy Christmas there is only one person who needs to change and that is themselves.”

The reality is that no one else has control over how you spend Christmas or what you do—it may feel like they do because you have got used to doing things in a certain way but you are willingly, in the sense that no one is coercing you, doing what you do.  Don’t worry this book isn’t about blame or feeling guilty or any other not okay feeling. It is about choice and free will and its only aim is to help you to have a wonderful Christmas.

It might be that you need to avoid some people but, generally, your Christmas will not change if you expect others to behave differently—what they do is their choice in the same way that what you do is your choice. It is quite possible that someone you find irritating finds you just as irritating. Do you know? Do you care?

"People seem to think that it is okay to have hateful thoughts as long as they are going through the motions of being nice to others. They are wrong. All that negative energy surges out of them and touches everyone else.”

Everything about you affects those around you. If you are happy, your happiness will make others feel good. If you are miserable and complaining your energy will make others feel flat and uneasy. If you are kind to others they are more likely to be kind to you. If you are unpleasant then you can expect unpleasantness in return.

No one can control you or make you the way you are except you. You may think otherwise but the reality is that no one else exists to make you happy—not your parents, children, partner, employees, employer, friends, no one.

Got that?

Okay, so what is your ideal Christmas? Find some more paper because this time you are going to write a letter. The subject of your letter is ‘What a wonderful Christmas’. Now use your imagination and mentally transport yourself to a few days after your wonderful Christmas. Tell the story of what happened, who you spent it with, what you did and so on. Write it as a letter to yourself, a friend, Santa, God, the Universe… Write it out in all its glorious detail and really feel how wonderful it feels as you do it.

Now it is quite feasible that your first letter is a truly great work of imagination and you have flown to some celebrity’s villa in the sun, or won the lottery or had all your family in perfect harmony. That’s fine. Keep it aside but now write another one based on the facts of your life—the people who are in your life, the type of money you have, where you live, the type of things you do. Think about it from your perspective only. Don’t worry whether anybody else would like it or how they’d feel—this is your wonderful Christmas. Enjoy it.

As you write stay focused on the positives so avoid writing things like ‘It was great not having Christmas dinner with (relatives name)’,  ‘money was a bit tight but we managed’, and ‘it was  relief not having to cook Christmas dinner’. Turn the phrases around so you are saying what did happen: ‘I really enjoyed spending Christmas dinner with (write down who)’, ‘we kept things simple and I loved knowing that I had enough money to cover everything’, and ‘I really appreciated having (name) cook Christmas dinner—it was different to the way I do it and made a lovely change’.

If you find yourself getting stuck then simply think back to last year and write out a version of that Christmas as if it was perfect for you—keep it positive, avoid making judgements, simply enjoy it.

The purpose of this exercise is not for you to devise a plan that you will follow—that will come later—rather it is about getting you to think about Christmas in a positive way and, more importantly, to feel positive about it.

If, when you think about Christmas, your thoughts turn to the things that you don’t like or to worries that you have then you are setting yourself up to experience those again. So, the starting point to changing your Christmas is to change your thoughts. Whenever you catch yourself worrying, complaining, or dreading any aspect of Christmas simply stop the thought and change it to how you would like it to be.

This type of thinking may seem a little odd. Don’t worry if it does, just acknowledge how you feel and agree with yourself to give it a try.  After all, you’ve nothing to lose—only you will know you are doing this.

And, that is a key point. At this stage when you are still thinking about Christmas and how it might be different, it is probably best if you don’t discuss your ideas and feelings with others. Why? Because they will have their own views and will want to comment on your ideas. Just for now, it is best if you have sole ownership of your ideas about Christmas without intrusion or interference from anyone else.

There’s only one other thing you need to know and that is that there is no single right way. There really are no rules as to how Christmas should be. You possibly think there are but there really aren’t.

“Christmas is celebrated in many different ways. When children are little their parents teach them how to celebrate Christmas but their way is only one way. Everybody can celebrate Christmas in a different way and it will still be Christmas.”

Enjoy creating your wonderful Christmas. If you get stuck leave it and try again tomorrow when you’ve had a bit of time to think about it. If you don’t like what you’ve written down, change it—rewrite it any time and as many times as you like.

Do be honest with yourself—remember that this is an exercise for you only. You never need to share any of your thoughts with anyone else but you do need to share them with yourself. It is very easy to keep doing the same things each year without ever thinking that things could be different. Well, they can be different but first you need to imagine them that way.

What would you really like to do? Who would you like to spend Christmas with? What is the most important aspect of Christmas for you?

How do you want to feel? What would make you feel like that? How do you want the people you are spending Christmas with to feel? What would make them feel like that?

Here’s what Christmas can be like regardless of your faith, how much money you have or where you live. It can be peaceful, happy, calm, pleasant, fun, inspiring, filled with love and joy, a wonderful time.

If you don’t take the time to explore what you really want you can never have it because you don’t know you want it. If you haven’t yet done it, please, please, please do just stop for a few minutes and write out your idea of a wonderful Christmas.

“If people change how they think about Christmas just a little, but preferably a little bit more, they will transform their experience of Christmas.”

2 Meaning

“The holiday of Christmas was invented by man and the meaning given to it is also invented by man and that is why it keeps changing.”

Just what is Christmas? Literally, it is the word we use for the few days around December 25th. That’s it, that is all the word means, it really does not have any other definition. The meaning of Christmas is something that varies from society to society, religion to religion, person to person—there is no single meaning that we all agree on or share. There is no single right way to view Christmas.

Christmas is celebrated by Christians, people of other faiths, and people of no faith. For many Christians the foundation of Christmas is the story of the birth of Jesus. For many non-Christians it is a holiday that involves traditions of family coming together, big meals, and the giving/receiving of presents. For children the world over it is about Santa Claus.

Fact: Some Christians celebrate December 25 as the birth day of Jesus but many other Christians celebrate on different dates.

Fact: The actual birth date of Jesus is unknown.

Fact: For some people Christmas extends throughout December and for others it is solely about the day itself.

Fact: In many countries, Christmas day is a national holiday, in others it is business as usual. Some promote the religious aspect, most do not.

Fact: Christmas has become a time when gifts and cards are exchanged.

Fact: Christmas is a key time of the year for retail outlets in our towns and cities and online. For many, it is the most profitable time of the year.

Fact: Christmas is both a religious and a secular holiday, celebrated by some but not by all.

Every year some people protest at how materialistic Christmas has become and bemoan the loss of its meaning—the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Yet in the early days of the church, Jesus’ birthdays was not celebrated—at that time birthday celebrations were viewed as pagan rituals and so were avoided.

When the church decided that it was okay to celebrate the birth of Jesus it was over three hundred years after his actual birth and nobody any longer knew the date. His birth day had never been seen as something of importance and had therefore not been recorded.

The date chosen to celebrate Jesus’ birthday was December 25. I will briefly mention two theories as to why this date was chosen but they are only speculation—the reality is that we don’t know.

Some argue that December 25 is nine months after Mary, his mother, was told that she would have a special child—a feast day known as the Annunciation and generally, but not always, celebrated on March 25. Whilst this celebration entered the church calendar prior to Jesus’ birth day it is also a date that represents the event rather than being the actual date the event took place on which is unknown.

Others argue that as Italy is in the Northern hemisphere the choice of December 25 was a way of introducing a Christian celebration at a time of the year when there were many pagan celebrations. Church leaders may have felt it was a convenient time to introduce another celebration that they could promote over the pagan ones and help move people from one form of celebration to another.

Whilst we can have theories about why Christmas day is when it is the reality is that we don’t know the original reason. What we do know is that Christmas Day, December 25, in many Christian churches is seen as the official birthday of Jesus and that is the focus of Christmas. We also know that in the northern hemisphere there have always been celebrations towards the end of December that mark the official end of winter and the start of light returning as the year moves towards the start of Spring.

It is the time of the year during which many customs developed and some of these involved benevolent figures who gave out presents. One of these figures is Santa Claus but he is by no means common to all societies—different countries have different figures who give out presents and the date on which this occurs also varies.

There is no single meaning to Christmas—there never has been. What does Christmas mean for you? Do you know? Don’t be surprised if you don’t. Many people have no idea what Christmas means. Often when asked they’ll say things like ‘it’s for the children’, ‘it’s about the birth of Jesus’, ‘presents and cards’, ‘spending too much’, ‘over eating’, ‘no idea it just happens every year’, ‘a national holiday’…

There is a great deal of confusion about Christmas and people find themselves trapped by conventions and traditions they learnt as children. But, it really doesn’t have to be like that. Christmas can be fun and it can mean a great deal to everyone but the meaning will vary greatly from person to person.

“Christmas is for everybody but it is not compulsory—that is free will.”

Finding a meaning to Christmas helps provide a structure to the holiday and fosters a happier frame of mind. If you know why you are celebrating Christmas, you will enjoy it more. Stop worrying about what Christmas means to others—other people’s beliefs and ideas about Christmas really are irrelevant to your enjoyment of Christmas.

Now there are always going to be some people who will simply always insist that it must be Christian and be focused on the birth of Jesus. That is wonderful for them—they have their meaning. If it doesn’t work for you, for whatever reason, ignore them. Find your own meaning. As Santa says, “Christmas really is for everyone”.

The current day reality is that Christmas, virtually everywhere it is celebrated, tends to have a mix of both religious elements, such as the nativity play in schools, and secular elements such as Santa and Christmas trees. It is virtually impossible for someone wanting a solely Christian or strictly secular Christmas to avoid elements of the other side.

This intermingling of the various elements has added to the confusion some people feel about Christmas. However, it is possible to look at both sides and pull out some common strands that can be adapted to provide a more relevant meaning in today’s societies and, more importantly, one that works for you.

Christmas is just a few days of the year. They can be magical, fun, happy or miserable and dull. The choice is yours. How do you want your Christmas to be? Can you find a meaning that works for you?

I tried to explain to Santa about how people are confused about the meaning of Christmas and he simply looked puzzled. For him it is very clear:

“Christmas is an opportunity for people to reflect on their lives—to appreciate what they have and to identify what they want to have in their lives.”

My initial reaction was “What about sharing and caring for others”? Santa smiled and said:

“It is best if people share things with others when they are sure they want to do so. If they appreciate their life and all they have, good feelings will arise within them and the feeling of wanting to help others, to share with others, will naturally arise within them.”

The process of appreciation will inevitably lead to thoughts about others—everything you own is because someone else produced it, you cannot function on your own. Nobody can.

You can show appreciation and love for others by buying gifts or sharing time with them over a meal. Gratitude can also be extended to those you don’t know. And, if you are short of money you can still give the greatest gifts of all—time, love, respect, company, and good thoughts.

The true meaning of Christmas is the meaning that you give it. Here’s a fun way of doing it. Back in 1911, Rosamond Livingstone McNaught wrote:

C is for Christmas, best day of the year.

H is for Holly, the Christmas cheer.

R is for Ringing of bells, glad and free.

I is for Imgard, who founded the tree.

S is for Santa Clans, filled with glee.

T is for Toys, the stocking to fill.

M is for Mistletoe, hung with good will.

A is for Anthems that merrily ring.

S is for Saviour, the Christmas King.

Here’s my version:

C is for caring that leads to sharing.

H is for happiness and hope in my heart.

R is for relaxing with those that I love.

I is for inspiration and lots of ideas.

S is for surprises and special events.

T is for tree and tinsel too.

M is for magic that lasts all year through.

A is for Appreciating all that I have.

S is for Santa who makes my wishes come true.

What’s your version:

C is for

H is for

R is for

I is for

S is for

T is for

M is for

A is for

S is for

Appreciation and Wishes

By taking Santa’s idea of Christmas being about appreciation and wishes you can combine some of the elements of what Christmas has become about, such as gift giving, and infuse them with greater meaning.

You can ensure that when you give cards and gifts that you do so because you want to send good wishes and to show your appreciation. If you think this way then you will feel much happier and will give gifts that have some true meaning. Your feelings of gratitude may also extend beyond your friends and family and you may find ways of sharing with people who are in need of help.

A beautiful Christmas ritual would be, each night during December, to write out some of things that you are grateful for and maybe some of your wishes.

Whilst it has become traditional for children to write lists of what they want for Christmas, they have rarely been encouraged to ask the question why.

“Everyone should write lists around Christmas time—long lists of what they want and why they want it. If they can write down why they want something it is always easier to provide it for them.”

If you can’t imagine something then it quite simply cannot appear in your life. Everyone must dream and this is not just about material things—it can be but it is also about a great deal more. What do you want in your life? How do you want your family to be? What kind of job do you want? Where do you want to live? What kind of person do you want to be?

Writing out gratitude and wish lists can be done as a family or as an individual—it is a practice that is open to everyone. Here is one way of incorporating appreciating and wishing into your Christmas.

Christmas Boxes

Take two boxes and label them ‘Thank-you’ and ‘Wishes’.  Place them under your Christmas tree then every day during December, take some paper and write out your wishes and ten things you are grateful for. You can do this for 24 days (from December 1 to December 24) or for just a few days near Christmas Day. You could even extend it to the end of the year. If you like the idea use it in whatever way works for you.

Wishes

When you write your wishes you might like to use small pieces of paper that you can fold nice and tight before adding them to the box because your wishes should be private to you. If others read them and comment on them that will affect how you feel about them so fold them small and respect others privacy and that includes parents not reading their children’s wishes.

When you write your wishes do it with awareness of what you are wishing for. Don’t just write ‘A new job’, ‘more money’, ‘a new car’, ‘a holiday’. Be specific—what type of job, how much money, what type of car, your holiday destination… And then, write why you want it.

“Wishes that are too vague or half hearted have little energy within them and usually fizzle out before they can be manifested in people’s lives. The best wishes are clear and precise and the person really feels they want it so much so that they are already experiencing it in their imagination.”

Take a little bit of time to wish well. Write ‘What I would really like is (name the item or state of being) because (give your reason).’ An extra touch would be to write at the end of your wish the words ‘thank-you’ three times so that you are already grateful for what you have asked for.

Or

‘Thank-you for (name the item or state of being) because (give your reason).’ By saying thank-you before you have received your wish you are adding power to it by already feeling grateful for it.

Write as many or as few wishes as you like each day but write at least one each day during December.

Thank-you

For your list of ten things to be grateful for take a sheet of paper and write them out one after another.

You can be grateful for anything and everything in your life—your health, money you have, a friend, your home, your clothes, the planet, the sky, bird song, a smile you received, a book you read, your favourite chair, your tablet, your eyes, French fries, coffee, chocolate…

Whilst you can be very general in your gratitude, you will develop stronger feelings if you are very specific. Don’t just write the words—feel them. Write:

I am so very happy to have (name the item, person or state of being) because (give your reason). Thank-you. Thank-you. Thank-you.

Or

Thank-you so very much for (name the item, person or state of being) because (give your reason). Thank-you. Thank-you. Thank-you.

When you have completed your list fold your piece of paper in four and place it in the ‘thank-you’ box.

If your family is not onboard with doing Christmas boxes but it is something you would really like to do then use a notebook instead of boxes and keep the notebook somewhere only you know. It will be your Christmas secret and it will transform your experience of the holiday.

The key aspect of appreciation and gratitude is not so much the words that you use but the feeling that the words and thoughts generate within you. At first it may not happen for you but keep doing it and soon you will begin to feel the gratitude as a warm feeling that spreads throughout your body.

The Meaning of Your Christmas

So, what would you like Christmas to mean for you? Could it be about appreciation and wishes? Is it about your faith? Is it about something else?

Write out the following statement and complete it:

‘For me, Christmas means…’

If you can’t complete this statement or are unhappy with what you have written then take some time. Put this book away for at least twenty-four hours so that you have some time to think about the meaning of Christmas for you.

Remember that the meaning suggested by Santa—of appreciation and wishes—can be used by everybody and it doesn’t exclude any other beliefs or forms of celebration.

Avoiding Christmas

Your idea of a wonderful Christmas may be that it never happens at all because, for you, it has no meaning.

You may be a member of a non-Christian faith and wish to avoid Christmas because it has no meaning for you.  However, if you live in a society that celebrates Christmas you can’t avoid it and must find a way of dealing with it.

If you are simply bored with, or disillusioned by, Christmas and really can’t find a meaning then this section may help you as well.

Respect

In whatever way you chose to spend your Christmas you need to respect that others may want to spend it differently. By respecting others, you will attract respect to yourself.

Here’s the crux of the matter. If you live in a culture that celebrates Christmas you need to find a way of dealing with it. You can join in to whatever extent is comfortable for you—decide what this will be well in advance of Christmas so you can be ready with your answers when people try to coerce you into activities that you know you don’t want to be part of.

Remember you have every right to not celebrate Christmas but be realistic—Christmas is going to happen around you. The rest of society is not going to change to accommodate your wishes so you must choose how you are going to be during the festive season or you will find yourself feeling angry, defensive and frustrated when people start asking you to participate.

By the way, respecting another’s beliefs does not mean that you are agreeing with them. You can think they are foolish or misguided but still respect them—people make choices and people are different. And, the best way for you to receive respect for what you believe is to genuinely respect others beliefs.

Be Realistic

Christmas is going to happen. You don’t have to participate but you also don’t need to be miserable or feel excluded. You can feel happy that others are being happy and you can choose how to spend your time so that you feel happy.

Protect yourself by planning, how you want to spend Christmas. Work out your response to invitations that you know you don’t want to accept. If you take a bit of time to sort out your thoughts and know how you will deal with requests and invitations life will be much easier for you when Christmas arrives.

Parties

Parties seem to be everywhere and if you are in employment you may be expected to attend work events. Now, I really doubt that your belief system says you can’t go to parties. It might very well say you can’t drink or make an idiot of yourself but it won’t prohibit you from actually attending.

Now if you really feel these are to be avoided, for whatever reason, decide how you will deal with them. Work events may be useful to attend because they are an opportunity to spend time with colleagues in a more informal setting. You could always go but only spend a short time. If you don’t make a fuss about it no one will notice your lack of participation. You really are not going to gain anything by people knowing you don’t want to be there. Friends’ parties can be politely declined. Again, work out your responses in advance.

Card Sending

Santa was very concerned that people got upset about Christmas cards. This is what he said:

“What harm is there in sending a card with a neutral message. People can choose cards with pictures of whatever they want and, when they send them, they are sending happy thoughts to others. That always has to be a good thing, does it not?”

I agree with Santa, what harm is there in wishing another person happiness? But, if you are just going through the motions and the process is meaningless to you then why do it?

Gift Giving

If there is a secret Santa in your work place then why not participate. The simple act of buying another person a present is not asking you to accept any beliefs about Christmas.

Accept any present that might be given to you with good grace and find a way in the future of reciprocating if you want to—it may be that your religion has a special day and you chose to bring in cakes or snacks that others can enjoy.

Do what works for you and never feel bullied into doing things and that includes buying gifts when you don’t want to. If something doesn’t feel quite right stop, think about it, and then chose what is the best way forward for you.

Christmas Day

Spend it doing whatever you want.

“Christmas can mean many things but it should always mean peace, love and respect. All people need to remember is that they all want the same thing—to be happy.”

3 Traditions

“Christmas traditions help provide a structure for the holiday.  Over the years, they provide a sense of continuity and security but if they do not work for people they must be changed. Happiness is what matters and new ways of celebrating Christmas soon become traditions…”

A simple fact of life is that everything changes. In fact everything is constantly changing—your body, your thoughts, where you live, the type of work you do, your friends, clothes, shoes, books, the music you listen to, the food you eat, your health, technology, finances, the government, the state of the roads/buses/trains, prices, the weather…

Everything changes yet, year after year, people try to do the same things at Christmas. The external elements may change—the type of tree and decorations, the amount of money spent on gifts, the food, the location—but the way you approach and experience Christmas often remains pretty much the same. Why?

The most likely answer is that it has never occurred to you that it is okay to do it differently. In fact it can be quite a shock when parents, children or friends announce out of the blue one year that they are doing something very different for Christmas—you can feel quite put out and not understand why. After all you’ve spent years wanting it to change. You should be happy but you’re not. Why?

It could quite simply be that the way you spend Christmas has become a habit. If unchallenged, habits can become quite entrenched and any changes to them can feel sort of ‘wrong’ especially if the change is instigated by someone other than yourself. A sense of loss and betrayal can arise—it can feel as if something has been taken away from you yet it was never yours in the first place. You always had a choice just like the person who is now making a choice to do things differently.

Traditions become habits and habits are just that—habits. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, about Christmas that cannot be changed. There is no tradition that has always been there. There is nothing that is totally fixed except perhaps a national holiday and let’s face it why would you complain about being given a holiday?

The traditions that you follow are a man made invention. Someone somewhere started doing things a certain way and a trend developed just like trends develop these days. Different traditions have developed in different countries and societies—there is no single right way. So, if you don’t like the way you do Christmas you can change it and it is always okay to do so.

Feeling compelled to do the same things year after year is a choice you make—it may not feel like a choice but it is. If you feel it isn’t, ask yourself who is making you do Christmas the way that you do it. Does that person have control over your life? Of course they don’t. Do you listen to them about everything else? Of course you don’t. It can feel as if you have to do things a certain way because it is expected of you but you don’t. You can spend Christmas any way you chose.

“Christmas seems to cause quite sensible people to lose their sense of perspective and to give up their free will—their ability to make choices. It is time for them to awaken from this trance and realise that they do have a choice.”

Christmas never has to be about following some misguided ideas of loyalty, duty and tradition. The difficulty is perhaps simply that Christmas means a great deal to children and, as a child, the traditions your parents introduced you to became a fixed way of doing things. These childhood traditions are often ones that evoke strong emotions of like or dislike and often they feel as if they can never be changed. But, as an adult, you can look at these and decide to do things in a different way. Christmas, and you, will survive if you change them.

Some people have no sense of tradition around Christmas because they were brought up in countries where Christmas wasn’t celebrated, or had parents who ignored Christmas, or had very unhappy childhoods. A lack of tradition can be as confusing as too much tradition. If this is you then you are very fortunate because you can take the best of what is available and not feel compelled to do things a certain way. You can truly enjoy inventing your Christmas.

Every one, no exceptions, can have a wonderful Christmas but your starting point must always be with yourself. Whilst you are reading this book and thinking about what would make Christmas wonderful for you, it is important that you think from where you are and not where others are. Yes, this is selfish but it is a wise form of selfishness. If you can sort out what will be a great Christmas for you then everyone who comes into contact with you will benefit. By focusing on yourself, you will be helping others far more than if you try, at this stage to place your focus on them.

Keep your thoughts and plans, at this stage, to yourself. Protect your ideas and feelings by keeping them secret to you. It is okay to do that—you do not have to share all your thoughts with anybody else no matter how important that person is to you.

“My wish is very simple. I want everyone, young and old, rich and poor, to have a very happy Christmas.”

A Traditional Christmas

The idea of a traditional Christmas is a myth—there really is no such thing. Fads and trends come and go and Christmas changes with them. What is traditional in one society may be totally alien in another. What is usual in one family will be extremely strange to another. What seems great one year can seem out dated just a few years later.

There is nothing fixed about Christmas—even the date for Christmas day varies. For the purposes of this book December 25 is assumed to be Christmas day only because that is the date usually chosen as a national holiday so it is a time when virtually all work activities cease.

Even the idea that Christmas is about a lot of food is not an accurate one. In the fifteenth century, in England, Christmas was celebrated with large feasts (if you had the money) but in 1644 Christmas celebrations, including the eating of special foods such as mince pies, was banned. Over the years, many Christians have observed fasts during the forty days leading up to Christmas day and others haven’t.

It was in the Victorian era that Christmas trees became a must have item in the UK. Communal ones are now also a usual sight and a way of expressing community and friendship as people gather round them for ceremonies to turn on the lights. In the northern hemisphere they are a welcome sight at night as they, along with Christmas lights on houses, streets, and shops brighten up our towns and villages.

The giving of presents on Christmas only appeared as a custom in the late nineteenth century. Prior to that, gifts, when given, were more likely to be exchanged at New Year.

In England, until 1912, newspapers were produced on Christmas day, and until 1961 mail was delivered on Christmas day. These are things we cannot even imagine happening now.

Things change.

It is sort of not surprising that people get confused about Christmas—there aren’t any real rules and even if you are a Christian and celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas day you will still see Christmas as being about other things—you probably talk about Santa, have a tree and decorations, buy special foods etc…

Some believe Christmas should only be about the birth of Jesus and become upset at the secularisation of Christmas but they forget that for many people Christmas has always been a secular event and that Christians at one point never celebrated the birth of Jesus.

“Christmas does not belong to one group of people, Christmas belongs to everyone who wants to celebrate it.”

There are lots of books out there, and web sites, that can tell you about how Christmas has been celebrated throughout the ages and in different countries. This book is not the place for those traditions because this book is only about your traditions as they are now and as you want them to be.

A Christian Christmas

Advent is the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas. Prayers and services lead up to the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. Advent was once seen as a time of fasting and contemplation. Many still view it as a time of contemplation. The idea of using advent calendars developed in the twentieth century and many now depict wintry scenes and Santas rather than anything to do with the nativity.

If you want Christmas to be a Christian event you almost have to work at that. Isn’t that wrong? No. It simply indicates that you want to spend Christmas in a certain way and many others don’t. You are neither right nor wrong.

If you want to embrace the Christian message at Christmas then go for it. Find out how your particular denomination or church views advent and maybe chose a reading for each day or attend a service or say certain prayers. Embrace it, enjoy it and be happy. Don’t worry about what others are doing—your Christmas is about you. If someone asks about your faith and how you are spending Christmas then by all means share your views with them but if people don’t ask then let them be.

Okay now some people are going to say that Christmas is not about them and that the focus should be on helping others and spreading the word of Jesus to non-believers. Helping others is always a good thing but you are never going to help another person by being miserable yourself. It is okay for you to be happy.

How can you having a wonderful Christmas harm anyone else? It can’t, it can only help them because if you as an individual are happy then you will spread happiness to others just by being near them. If helping others, by working in a soup kitchen or in a homeless shelter or by sending money to a charity matters to you, then that is part of what makes your Christmas wonderful. Having a wonderful Christmas does not exclude helping others.

Now the question of taking your message out to others, of evangelising in any way, is a simple one. Treat others as you want to be treated. Do you want people of other faiths to try convert you? Do you want to be told that your beliefs are wrong? Do you want to be told that there is only one way and that is not your way? If your answer has been no then it is best to only share the details of your faith when asked.

“Christmas is about love, peace and respect and it is for everyone-it does not matter what they believe.”

A Secular Christmas

The secular aspects of Christmas are all those elements that are not about the nativity story. So, there are trees, gift giving, cards, parties, Santa, decorations, national holidays and so on.

Many other aspects are pretty much both secular and Christian—sharing meals with family and loved ones, and helping others. In fact it is hard to separate elements out and it really doesn’t matter because it is about you using and embracing those that work for you and leaving out the ones that don’t.

Being Politically Correct

The fact that for some people Christmas is not about the birth of Jesus seems to have challenged some politically correct thinkers into believing that Christmas should be called something else.  In the UK, some local authorities now avoid signs saying ‘Happy Christmas’ or ‘Merry Christmas’ and instead use the more neutral terms ‘Seasons Greetings’ or ‘Happy Holidays’.

It’s Christmas. Call it Christmas. There have always been people who do not think Christmas has anything to do with Christianity and there always will be. I don’t think another name for it changes it in any way. Christmas will be celebrated or participated in by people the world over because that is what they do at that time of the year—Christian or not.

If you really feel the term should be neutral one ask yourself why. The most common answer is that it is better to be neutral and try make people of all faiths feel part of the celebrations. Do you really think a change in the name will make any difference to how someone experiences Christmas?

“Let Christmas be Christmas and allow people to choose for themselves how they celebrate it.”

World Wide Christmas

Christmas is celebrated across the world. Whilst in England the days are short and the nights long and children hope for snow, in Australia it is the height of summer, the days are long, the nights short and thoughts are of beaches and swimming pools.

Christmas is celebrated in winter or summer. What people eat varies. The focus on Jesus or Santa varies. The type of tree varies. The type of gifts and the amount of money that is spent varies. The music listened to is different. The day itself varies—Dec 25, Jan 6, Jan 18 are just three variations.

Are there any common threads that unite Christmas worldwide? Yes…

- An acknowledgement that Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.

- A belief in a benevolent figure such as Santa Claus.

- Sharing food.

- Giving and receiving good wishes via cards and presents.

- Spending time with loved ones.

- Helping those less fortunate.

These elements form a foundation from which many traditions have developed.

Your Traditions

Don’t worry about the changes that have taken place in the past to Christmas or about any changes that you may make—Christmas will survive. It always has. Christmas has changed and adapted to fit in with what is happening more generally in society. The same process happens within families.

Parents introduce their children to a way of celebrating Christmas and the children will keep on repeating those elements until they develop their own. The most common time for a change is when they themselves become parents simply because at that point two sets of family traditions come together.

Adults without children also bring about changes as the childhood rituals metamorphose into ones more relevant to them as adults. Christmas only stays the same in your head—you are convinced that you have to do certain things each year often in a certain way or… Or what? What is it you fear will happen? Regardless of what you do, the world will still keep turning, your family will still be your family, Christmas will still happen next year.

You can have a wonderful Christmas in whatever way you define that to be and survive.

The worry about making changes is often to do with what somebody else will think whether that be a partner, friend, parent, child, employer, or work colleague. You may fear being judged, or being told that you have disappointed someone, shown a lack of gratitude, not being the dutiful child, parent, partner, employee… but this is all in your head. Others may very well have opinions of you just like you have of them but they do not control your life unless you let them. Life will be just fine if you make changes to your Christmas.

The person most likely to be judging you, and the one you need to take notice of, is you. You need to notice and listen to your own ghost of Christmas past and if it brings memories of unease and unhappiness then you need to ignore it. And, also, don’t worry about future Christmases—they will happen whatever you do. The only one you need to focus on is the Christmas that is coming.

Now please do not rush into making any big decisions about Christmas. Take it slowly, really give yourself time to work out what you want from that time of the year and then take action. If you throw yourself into making changes without preparing for them they may very well be the wrong ones and your Christmas could be disappointing. Please also remember the only person’s Christmas you are going to change is yours. Your decision will affect others but the only person, at the moment, that you need to focus on is you.

There may be some things that you are not be able to change because of your job or because you are a parent or have a sick relative or any other reason that is already in place. Regardless of the situation you are in you will still be able to change your experience of Christmas. Even if no outer circumstances change—not one—your inner perception of Christmas can change and when it does you will have a wonderful time.

“Each individual can transform their experience of Christmas by changing the way they think about it.”

It really does all boil down to free will—you can choose to be miserable, you can chose to be happy, you can chose to love or to hate, you can be chose to listen to others or to ignore them. Whatever you choose you will bring more of it into your life so chose what you really want.

Some people try to ignore Christmas until it is almost upon them but it is much easier to make the external changes if you have planned ahead for them. If you haven’t and the shops are full of gifts and piped Christmas music is everywhere and you know that your parents/children/partner expect things to happen a certain way then there is only one place left where you can make changes—and that is in how you think. Choose to be happy and you will make others happy and that is probably the best gift you can give anyone.

Traditions are only useful if you are enjoying them or if they mean something to you. If they don’t, create your own and that can include having none at all. This could mean that you only participate in Christmas because of work demands and at home nothing takes place—that choice is yours and yours alone. You don’t need to explain yourself to anyone else and they don’t need to explain themselves to you. Avoid passing judgement on others and you will attract respect to yourself. If you don’t do this, others may judge you and you will feel got at and misunderstood.

New Traditions

There are lots of options—celebrate throughout December or focus just on the few days around Christmas day. Open your presents just after midnight on Christmas eve or first thing in the morning on Christmas day or later in the afternoon. Spend time with family or don’t. Go out and feed animals and birds. Celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, December 25 or on another day. Give to charity or don’t. Do something different. Stay at home or go away on holiday.

What are your current Christmas traditions? What do you do each year? Make a list of them and write opposite each tradition ‘mine’ if you introduced that tradition to what you do or ‘family’ if it was what happened when you were growing up.

Now tick the ones you like and definitely want to keep, put a question mark against those you are unsure of and a cross against those you want rid of. If you have a lot of question marks or crosses then take some time to just think about those. It is possible that you have rarely given them any thought so give yourself some time.

When you are ready, identify three things to change. There may be many more—it doesn’t matter because beginning to change any aspect of your Christmas will have an immediate impact on all the other bits. As you change your focus of attention to how you want Christmas to be rather than having it on things you don’t like you will begin to attract the things you really want. A momentum will be created so don’t worry about trying to sort it all out just choose three.

“People always have a choice. They simply need to accept responsibility for their experience of Christmas and chose the traditions that work for them. If there are no traditions they like they can create their own—that is the magic of Christmas.”

4 Family

“Christmas can be equally as happy or miserable with or without family.”

Families come in all shapes and sizes and there really is no single typical type. So, whatever you feel about yours, know that it is unique. It is unique because it consists of individuals each of whom is different and inevitably you are not going to get on with, or like, all your family members especially if the extended family is quite large.

The ideal of the happy family Christmas is something that causes a great deal of pain to many people including those with no family, older people who do not see their adult children, families who have had a parent or child die recently, families with divorced parents, and abusive families. If you are in any of those situations, can you have a wonderful Christmas? Yes, it is possible.

No family

If you are alone in the sense that you have no relatives then you have many options open to you.

For Christmas day, you could invite someone you know in a similar situation to have a meal with you, you could accept an invitation, you could volunteer to help at a homeless shelter or in a hospital, or you could spend Christmas alone—any of these options can lead to a lovely Christmas.

Don’t focus on what you don’t have, instead focus on what you do have. Think of all the things that you do have—health, the ability to make choices, a home, a comfortable bed, nice clothes, air you can breathe, clean water, the sky, trees to watch, birds to listen to…

Whether you feel it or not you are part of a large family—everyone is connected to everyone else. No single individual could exist without others and these connections make it very easy to feel appreciation and gratitude for all the things you do have. People collect your rubbish, engineers install and look after power lines so that you can have electricity, people make the clothes and shoes you wear, your furniture, your bedding, your computer, your phone, your doors, everything you own or use. Farmers grow fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts, and look after animals so that you can have food. Others prepare the food and bring it the shops. You get the picture…

When you pause your usual way of thinking and turn your thoughts to appreciating your life, an amazing transformation begins immediately. You will feel lighter, and easier, and happier.

Get yourself a Christmas tree, large or small, real or artificial, decorate it and set up your Christmas boxes or notebook so that you can fill each day with appreciation of the good things in your life and thoughts of the ways in which your life could be even better.

Don’t feel excluded. If you don’t have family and friends to give presents to then find out who is running a shoe box campaign near you and fill a box for a boy or girl.

Buy some chocolate bars or sweets at the start of December and keep them by your front door. It is a lovely gesture to offer them to people who call through the month—the mail man, delivery men, meter readers and so on… Wish everyone a happy Christmas—you’ll see their faces light up and you will feel good.

Has someone or some agency or shop or service really helped you over the year? Maybe you could buy them a gift. If money is short then write them a letter not just saying thank-you but also saying why their help was so special to you.

Smile a lot and just let yourself be. It is just fine to be alone—many people are. Also, just remember that virtually everybody will, at some point in their lives, be alone. This is just your time, don’t hate it, be different and find a way to enjoy it.

If you decide to spend Christmas day alone ensure you make the day as special as you can. Make sure you have the ingredients for a lovely meal. Also, ensure you have bought and wrapped some gifts for yourself—treat yourself to some luxury items. Indulge and revel in just being able to do what you like in your own home—there will be lots of people longing to be in your situation.

“Christmas is not just about families, it is much more about how people feel inside themselves. So, alone or with other people, Christmas can be magical.”

Adult Children

As children get older and move away from home there are times when they are not able to return to the parental home for Christmas or choose to go elsewhere or have Christmas in their own homes with or without their parents. The best Christmas gift you, as a parent in this situation, can give them is to let them know you are happy about their choices. Perhaps the next best gift would be to share with them the positive aspects of how you intend to spend your Christmas.

It can hurt to not have your children, and possibly your grandchildren, with you but if the situation is as it is, for whatever reason, you will only make yourself miserable by dwelling on ‘should have beens’ or ‘if onlys’. Avoid the temptation to bribe them with the promise of lots of gifts or large amounts of money—it will not make them, or you, feel good. A gift, whatever it is, and in whatever form it is, should always be given with joy and with no expectations of anything in return.

Decide how you would like to spend your Christmas and don’t be bullied into a situation you don’t want to be in. Sometimes adult children want to arrive on alternative days when you have already made plans—don’t change your plans if you don’t want to. You are as entitled to have a good time as they are, choose a different date. They may insist that you come to them for Christmas but if you really don’t want to be away from your home—don’t go. You can always spend time together at a different time of the year.

If you are invited to your child’s home but loathe the way they do things—do something different. Take control and decide what you want to do, decide on the type of day you want to have and plan for it. Under no circumstances should that include others doing something for you. If you decide to still go then please enjoy the day by admiring what you do like and not seeing the rest. You have that choice—there really is only one person who can make your Christmas day miserable or happy and that is you.

“People often forget, or perhaps do not know, that no one else, not even me, can make their Christmas a happy day—only they can do that.”

The unconditional love that binds parents to their children is rarely reciprocated to the same extent. Nature needs parents to feel love in this way to care and support children when they are still small and vulnerable. Your children are not ‘wired’ to feel the same way towards you otherwise they would never be able to leave home and start their own families. Let them be and embrace your new form of Christmas—have fun planning on what to do without them. Why not try something completely different.

If you are a single young person and believe you are expected to go home but hate doing so, ask yourself this question: why do you go home? Some of the most common answers include my parents expect it… it’s what everybody else does… I want the presents… I need to go because they pay my tuition (or whatever) so I am obligated to spend time with them… just because…

Be honest with yourself and then decide what you really want to do. If you decide to go home then do so with good grace—smile, be happy, find things to appreciate, be helpful and you will probably have a good time. If you decide not to go then let your parents know well ahead of Christmas so they can make alternative plans and have the Christmas they would like.

Illness and Death

Christmas can feel so very hard if a loved one is ill or a family member died at that time of the year.

Illness

An unexpected illness will over ride any other plans but that is just life. You really have no choice but to accept the situation as it is and place your attention and energy on doing whatever it is you need to do.

If the illness is short lived then Christmas can simply be postponed and enjoyed a few days or weeks later.

If you or someone close to you has a serious illness or accident around Christmas time you may find that as the crisis stage abates there is a little bit of spare energy. Depending on your beliefs and your circumstances it may be a positive thing to still celebrate Christmas in some way. If the person who is ill is able to make decisions then ask them what they’d like to happen and see if that is possible.

Long-term illnesses can be the ones that cause the most problems over Christmas because friends and relatives may feel obliged to do things in a certain way to accommodate the person who is ill. That may be just fine but it is best to check with everyone concerned.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that just because one person is ill it does not mean that Christmas has to be put on hold or cancelled. People get ill, it is just something that happens. Christmas plans can be adapted to ensure everyone can still experience a good time. Don’t make assumptions about what the person wants—talk to them. Also, if you have young children talk to them about any changes in plans. And, please don’t force children to spend time with a sick relative if they are scared or uneasy about it in any way.

If you have a serious illness take some time to work out exactly what you would like to do this coming Christmas. Your relatives, friends and carers may have strong views as to what you should do but it is important that you choose for yourself especially if this is likely to be your last Christmas.

Death

If a child, parent or close relative has died around Christmas time then each year there will be very mixed emotions. As the years pass there will be an increasing pull towards wanting a normal Christmas and guilty feelings because your loved one is not with you.

As Christmas is going to come round each year it is probably a good idea for those of you who spend Christmas together to talk well in advance of Christmas—in June or July—about how you are going spend Christmas.

It is okay to move the actual day to another date. It is okay to have a day of remembrance—make it a fun one and only invite those who really want to be there. It is okay to have December as a month of appreciation and wishes. It is okay to have fun at Christmas—your loved one would want you to be happy. It is okay to find a way of making Christmas work for you and your family.

The very first year will be the hardest and it is likely that, whatever you do, it will not feel right—that’s normal. Be gentle. Don’t have too many expectations. Make your priority to feel love and peace for those around you.

Divorce

Divorced parents on speaking terms who share custody of their children should plan well in advance (June/July) how Christmas is going to happen.

Children need to know where they will be spending Christmas and with whom. They need to feel secure and loved. Young children can become very upset and scared about Santa not knowing where they are or assuming that one parent doesn’t like them enough or that they have done something wrong. Talk to them and never make promises to your children that you can’t keep.

Plan not just the physical aspects but also how you will talk about Christmas—if you are unable to agree on this, you at least need to know that is the case. It is okay for children to learn that their parents have different views on things but criticism is best avoided—take the high moral ground and be nice about the other parent.

Don’t argue—there is no need. If you can set aside your differences and remember that once you cared deeply for each other you can cooperate enough to ensure that Christmas is wonderful for all of you. The keyword should always be co-operation. Co-operate rather than compete with each other over gifts, events, and time.

If you really feel that you can’t cooperate because the wounds are too deep, the differences to severe, then choose what is best for your little ones. Will it simply be better for them to spend the holidays with the parent they usually live with? Find a way to compromise and you as well as your children will have a wonderful Christmas.

If you are not on speaking terms or the relationship is such that the children rarely, if ever, spend time with one of the parents then the parent who is looking after them all the time should be the only one who has any say in how they spend Christmas. If the other parent shows up around Christmas then use your best judgement as to whether you allow them any involvement. You will feel compelled to protect your children but it may be best to tell them the truth, no matter how gruesome or distressing it may be, simply because children have a knack of thinking things are their fault if they don’t have the facts.

If your child’s primary Christmas wish is that you reconcile with your partner you need to talk to them so that they know why the relationship broke up and why it won’t restart and how that will not affect the way you love them.

“Children are very good at hiding their feelings because they try to protect their parents just like the parents try to protect their children—it is best if parents are as honest as they can be with their little ones. They will make it so much easier for them in the long term.”

Abuse

If someone in your family causes you, or has caused you, harm don’t even consider spending Christmas anywhere near them. The harm can be physical, sexual, mental or emotional. You may have told others or you may have not.

You may find yourself under pressure from other family members to simply ‘get on with it’, ‘join in’, ‘stop making a fuss about nothing’ or ‘to forget what happened years ago’. Simply ignore them. You have the right to chose how you spend your Christmas.

If you are still being harmed in any way then please seek help from the police, doctors or counsellors. If the harm took place in the past you can still seek help if you need it and/or want it.

What you need to know is that you can have a wonderful Christmas. That you can chose to spend the holiday nowhere near your family. That you need never see them again if you don’t want to. That you don’t need to justify or explain to anyone why you are having a Christmas away from ‘home’. You are as important as anyone else is.

“Some families are beautiful and some are not. Whilst people cannot change who their families are they can chose whether they spend time with them or not. True family are those people who love each other—blood ties are not the most important part of any relationship.”

The Traditional Family Christmas

Christmas day is often seen as a day for being with family—exchanging gifts and sharing a large meal. In countries where family members live long distances from each other this often means spending a few days together. One person, the Christmas Organiser, generally carries out the management and orchestration of the whole event and is usually, but not always, a woman.

Whilst people often complain about the whole run up to Christmas, it is Christmas Day that is most often disliked. If you have done the same thing for many years then you probably have a scenario that is mentally replayed time and time again in exactly the same way. You need to understand that what you focus on is what you get. So if you continuously think about how things were awful, cringe making, an absolute pain, boring, exhausting… that is what you are setting yourself up to experience.

“If people expect good things that is what they receive. So, when they expect to feel miserable or bored why do they complain when that is exactly what happens?”

It was a good question by Santa and one I was unsure of how to answer but then it struck me—people don’t know that is what happens. Complaining and moaning can just become something that is done and it generally happens without a conscious choice being made. So, to be able to change your experience of Christmas, or of anything else, you first have to know you want to change it, secondly that you can change it, and thirdly what you want to change it to.

Focus on what you do want. Once again take your memory of last Christmas—assume that the same scenario will take place but replay it in your mind so that the day is fun, everyone is pleasant to you, and you are pleasant to everyone. Was that better? Could it happen? Could it be better if you change how you approach the day or days that you spend with your family?

Changing your experience of Christmas really can be as easy as changing how you think about it. As you change how you think about Christmas you will see how, if you approach the time with your family in a different way, you can make the day more pleasant for yourself and for others.

For the Christmas Organisers, the very idea of simply changing how they think about Christmas to make Christmas any easier will seem like a joke. They know how long it takes to get everything organised. They know how much time and energy goes into making it a wonderful day, how much organising it takes to make sure everyone is there, planning all the meals and ordering the food and cooking it; sourcing the tree, replacing old decorations, ensuring that everyone buys gifts (the right ones) for everyone else, writing cards and mailing them, keeping the children amused, organising trips to pantomimes, helping with the school nativity play, redecorating the lounge/guest bedroom/kitchen, baking mince pies, Christmas puddings, cakes…

Stop right there.

If that is you, why do you do it? If your answer is that it ‘is expected’ of you or that ‘nobody else will’ then stop right now and go back to Chapter Two and work out what Christmas means to you. You need to know how you want next Christmas to be.

Christmas really can be as complicated or as simple as you choose it to be. For example organising how everybody else buys their presents is not necessary—leave them to it. Yes, it might not get done. Yes, they might buy the ‘wrong’ things. Does it matter? It doesn’t and they might have more fun. Let others make their own choices.

You decide how you would like to celebrate Christmas then talk to your family and let them know your ideas and plans and see what happens.

If it is too late to change how things will happen this year then decide to have some fun and chill out. Write your lists and get others involved in helping. Promise yourself that the whole process will make you happy not stressed—take time out each day to appreciate how wonderful you have been at the organising. Give yourself the gift of some time off—even if it is only half an hour here and there—go and have a coffee, a swim, read, whatever works for you. Yes, there is time—the only person who thinks there isn’t is you. If something doesn’t get done then it simply doesn’t get done. Prioritise the things that are the most important.

Whilst you prepare for Christmas keep a note of what you enjoy doing and what you don’t enjoy doing and think how it could be different. Some people adore everything about Christmas and organising the family’s Christmas is something they simply love doing. Some people do it because they feel they have to yet they loathe doing it. If you love it then go for it, if you loathe doing it then stop doing it the way you do.

It is perfectly okay to change how Christmas happens if you are the one organising it. Tell your family your plans and if there is a whole chorus of ‘but I want… this, that or the other’, ‘you can’t not do…that’s the best part’ simply bat the moan back to them—invite them to do whatever it is they are so going to miss yet have never told they even liked in the past. Keep smiling and remain true to yourself.

Now what about the relative who arrives on Christmas day and simply expects everything to be ready or heads for the kitchen to ensure things are being done correctly or never has a good thing to say? If that’s you please promise yourself right now that you will appreciate the meal, the decorations, and the time and effort the Christmas Organiser has put into making the day go smoothly.

Promise yourself that you will smile and only say pleasant things to everyone. Can you do that? If you can, you will have a happy time and so will everyone else. Don’t believe you have to fight your corner—whatever that is for you—chose to place your focus on feeling happy. If you don’t enjoy the day then reread the first two chapters and find a way of making your Christmas wonderful for you because that is your job not anyone else’s. Oh and give the people you usually spend the day with a break from you next Christmas—tell them that you have different plans.

“If people love and respect themselves then loving and respecting others will follow naturally and with ease.”

Avoiding the Family Christmas

Why not be honest and work out what you do want to do for Christmas. If there is a relative you never see the rest of the year and loathe having round for Christmas you need to ask yourself why you bother. There is no way it can be a pleasant experience for you or for them if no one wants them there—tell them that this Christmas will be different and you won’t be inviting them. You never know that might make them happier than coming over.

I want to spend Christmas in my own home

Do that. Plan for it.

I want to spend Christmas with just my partner

What’s stopping you? Is it a sense of duty or loyalty? Be honest with yourself and your family—tell your usual Christmas Organiser that you’re doing something different. You can make that choice.

My parents/children expect me to…

So what. Decide what you do want and then talk to them. You never know they might just be doing Christmas in a certain way because they think it is what you expect.

My children should be home at Christmas

Only if they want to be or can be. The bond that is family can easily withstand family members doing different things at Christmas. Your children may want to explore other ways of doing things—let them. If you guilt trip everyone into turning up for Christmas there may come a time when they will simply stop seeing you altogether.

Why not plan to do something you always wanted to do and let them know a long time in advance that you are already booked up for Christmas—be different, have fun.

I want to feel appreciated

This is a common feeling amongst Christmas Organisers because they have planned and worked for weeks, if not months, to make everything okay and then suddenly it’s over and everyone has just taken it all for granted. The pat on the back, the casual thank-yous never seem quite enough.

If you want to feel appreciated the starting place must be within yourself—appreciate everything you have done each day in the run up to Christmas and have no expectations of appreciation from others—simply enjoy their enjoyment.

If you haven’t enjoyed preparing Christmas, change how you do it next year or pass the baton of Organiser to someone else. If you do let someone else do the organising then let them be—help only if asked to help and never criticise.

“It is heart warming when people, related or not, share a meal and appreciate each other’s company—that is family.”

5 Money

“What makes a wonderful Christmas is state of mind—not money.”

Christmas can feel like a very expensive time of the year because you believe you have to do certain things. You don’t. It is quite feasible to have a wonderful Christmas and spend very little. Before reading this section just remind yourself of what Christmas means  for you—go back to what you wrote when reading the chapter on Meaning.

Look at your wonderful Christmas—the one that is grounded in the reality of what your life is like now. Does it involve you in having to borrow money? If it does please rewrite it so that you do not have to borrow any money.

How much do you spend at Christmas? If you don’t know have a guess. Do you only spend within your budget? Do you borrow money via loans or credit cards? How much money do you have, or will have, for your next Christmas?

The amount of money that you will have for your next Christmas should be the same as the amount you will spend—however small or large that is. If these two figures are not the same then you are setting yourself up for problems.

If you borrow money to pay for Christmas it will make the rest of your year harder than it needs to be. If you already have debts then give yourself an early Christmas present and go talk with a debt advisor—in the UK you could start with a visit to a Citizens Advice Bureau. Once you have a strategy for dealing with your debts you will feel so much easier and, most importantly, more in control.

Set a budget for Christmas and stick to it. Your budget may be large, small or even zero.

“Christmas is a wonderful time but it is only a small part of the year so it is best if people spend wisely so they can live as well as they can throughout the whole year.”

Gifts

In theory, a gift is something given voluntarily without expectation of anything in return. Gifts are usually given to mark special events and days such as Christmas. Whilst some gifts have a lot of thought put into them, many more are neutral in the sense that they have little thought put into them and are purchased only because of a sense of obligation.

Buying things for others is always a little difficult. If you know what they want then it’s easy but the type of merchandise that appears in the shops at Christmas time is indicative of the fact that many people don’t really know or maybe don’t care enough. You know the type of item—bath salts, biscuits, sweets, calendars, diaries, fridge magnets, key rings, gift tokens, soaps, cushions, scented candles, nose hair clippers, slippers, socks, pot pourri… The sort of thing you buy when you know you have to get something and have no idea what. Well don’t.

Stop and think now. Write out a list of all the people you want to buy presents for, check it twice, and don’t go shopping until you have decided on how much you are going to spend and the type of item you want to buy. Yes I know it can be fun just browsing and letting yourself be inspired but you also know that it often leads to overspending and often to buying some items that you later regret, so don’t do it.

If you feel you absolutely have to visit the shops to get inspired then do so but leave your money and credit cards at home—browse and window shop. If you buy everything online then browse and bookmark the things you find and wait at least twenty-four hours before buying them so you are sure they really are what you want to buy as gifts.

It is easy not to budget and just let the money flow out but, as this can lead to problems later on, it is best if you only ever spend what you have. The planning of the purchases is the true gift because it is you thinking about that person and appreciating them enough to choose something especially for them.

If you have enough of money to not have to work out how much to spend on anyone then you can really have great fun in working out what would be the best gift for them. Don’t be tempted to pass this task on to someone else because it is your gift not theirs. Enjoy taking some time to think about the people you want to give gifts to, appreciate them, and identify the best gift you can. Make the time to do this and you will really enjoy it. If you really don’t want to chose gifts then perhaps you need to ask yourself if you really want to give gifts at all.

“It would be nice if people really thought about the gifts they were buying.”

Look at your list of people you buy gifts for and ask the question ‘why?’ after each person’s name. If your answer is anything that is not positive then please remove that person from your list.

Don’t ever buy a gift when you don’t have the money or because you feel you have to.

The Family Gift

“One of the best presents is something that a family chooses together that they can all share.”

Santa’s idea of a gift that everyone can share is an idea that can be talked about well in advance of Christmas and be something that everyone saves for together. The gift will vary depending on income available and, of course, family interests but can include a DVD/Blue ray box set, a box of luxury chocolates or biscuits, a new TV, something for the garden, a trip out to the cinema, theatre, zoo, theme park; it could be a trip to a favourite place or even a holiday. The key element is simply that it is something everyone can share.

Children’s Presents

The number of gifts and presents that are bought for children has increased to exceedingly large numbers in some countries and it makes no sense. If you feel you have to buy a very large number of gifts for your children please ask yourself why.

Seriously, ask yourself why and then ask yourself if the reason you have given is valid—don’t ignore this. Does it really make sense? Can they really use everything at once? Who is it really pleasing? What values are you teaching them?

Children often have a very clear idea of what they want. If they still believe in Santa then get them to write a list and to mark on the list which five items they most want. That will tell you as a parent what is most important to them. As children get older you can get them to write Christmas lists and ask them to choose the five items that are most important to them. If you can afford to get all five for them then great. If you can’t, then aim to purchase their number one gift.

“It is not the number of presents that your child receives that makes them happy. It is your love and your happiness.”

Charitable Giving

One of the most pleasant traditions that has developed around Christmas time is people giving to total strangers.

Money is sent to charities, pledges for ongoing giving are made, charity collectors buckets are filled, food is taken to food banks, shoe boxes are filled for children who have very little, unwanted items are taken to charity shops, plays and entertainments are put on in residential homes and hospitals, and people give up their time to serve food to the homeless.

“How wonderful it is when people think about others and how even more wonderful it is when they share what they have with another being. Now that is a tradition I like.”

Whether you give or don’t give, how much you give and in what way is up to you. A golden rule is not to give more than you can afford or are comfortable with giving. Many people have times in their lives when they are the ones that need the help and are not able to give so please don’t worry if you can’t give at the moment.

“There is one gift everyone can give and that is gratitude. If everyone could feel deeply grateful for what they do have, they would be so much happier.”

There are some other gifts that everyone can give freely—politeness and respect. If you are at a family gathering be nice to everyone and smile. Give up complaints and frowns for Christmas day at least.

If you have enough of money to have a great Christmas could you please still read the next section. Why? Because you may be able to show someone you know or meet or pass in the street or meet in a shop a simple kindness. You may also get some ideas on how you can spend less at Christmas.

There are some families, and individuals of all ages, who have very little money. So little that sometimes they have to skip meals. The reasons why are many—unemployment, low wages, bad choices in the past, family breakdowns, because they are refugees, have health problems… Whatever the reasons are, they require only one thing from others—compassion. Not pity, not even understanding, but simple compassion.

“It is good if people feel gratitude for their good fortune, for their health, for their money, for their happiness and if they can share a little with someone else that is truly wonderful.”

If everyone who has enough can share even a little then everyone will be happier. One of the easiest ways of helping at Christmas is to donate food to a food bank—in the UK most supermarkets have collection points so it is easy to buy an extra tin or packet or box of some food and leave it for someone who needs it.

If you know of a family member or neighbour who needs some help see if there is a way you can help without patronising them. It can be very hard for some people to accept things from others no matter how much they may need them.

“It would be fun if everyone sent a secret Santa present. They could put together a food hamper or some toys and then arrange for them to be delivered anonymously to the person they have chosen to help.”

Santa’s idea is wonderful because it is a way of giving from the heart. If you decide to do it please ensure that your package contains only new items and a card explaining that the contents are a gift freely given for Christmas from a friend (or Santa). Never let on that the package came from you.

Of course giving is not all about money. Perhaps the greatest gift of all is your time. The gift of time can take on many forms including listening, doing chores, spending time with someone doing what they want to do, talking, reading together, going for a walk.

Food

It has become traditional to have certain foods at Christmas and for some reason people often buy much more than they need.

Respect the money you have and only buy what will be eaten. Don’t feel you have to have certain things at Christmas—plan meals that you and those you are sharing them with can enjoy. It is okay to have fish fingers for Christmas dinner—if that is what your family prefer.

If you are the Christmas Organiser and cater for a large number of people do yourself, and everybody’s stomachs, a favour and keep it simple. If the main course is relatively simple then the richer bits can be kept as extras and nobody will feel compelled to eat everything. Don’t go over the top—there really is no need.

A Budget of Zero

What about if you really have no money to spare? Well you can still have the best Christmas you have ever had but you are going to need to plan ahead and be quite firm with yourself.

Firstly, if you have no spare money for Christmas that means there is no spare money left to pay for a loan if you take one out so do not be tempted to get into debt. Promise yourself that you will not do this no matter what.

It is totally understandable that parents want to buy their children presents, trees, decorations, and a ‘proper’ Christmas dinner but children don’t need these. What they do need is love and care and for their parents(s) to be healthy.

“The stress that comes with debts is a stress that will take its toll on parents and on the little ones. Better to have health than some material things at Christmas.”

Plan to make a wonderful Christmas for yourself and your family using activities that cost nothing or very little. Remember that Christmas is much more about what is in your heart than what you can afford to buy.

Firstly, acknowledge your situation—be totally honest with yourself about how much money there is and what you can do with it. Then be honest with your family and that includes the children— if you don’t do this they may have expectations that lead you to feeling so guilty that you give in and borrow money.

“One of the absolutely beautiful aspects of Christmas is that if people really truly focus on appreciating what they already have then their lives will magically begin to be better. What greater gift could they give themselves?”

A Christmas Month

Decide to do Christmas throughout the whole of December. If you have a tree then set it up and decorate it as well as you can at the start of the month. If you don’t have a tree and can’t afford to buy one make one from paper and pin it to the wall.

You can cut segments of a tree shape from newspaper or any type of paper that you have access to and build up the picture. Pictures of lights, decorations, presents, Christmas trees—real and artificial, can be cut out of catalogues and added to your tree. Your tree will be truly amazing when finished and, best of all, it will be 100% unique.

Go back to the section on Christmas Boxes to remind yourself how to use them. Get two boxes—ask at any shop for empty boxes that you can then cover with scarves or paper to brighten them. Each day spend time appreciating your life and writing out your wishes and, if you can, get everyone involved. If you haven’t got any paper spend a pound and get a pad of paper from your local cheap shop. If you don’t have a spare pound call in at any office building and ask if they have any scrap paper that they are throwing away. It is okay to ask.

You may be wondering what you can appreciate but once you start to look at your life you will find many things. By thinking about these rather than focusing on the things you don’t have you will begin to attract more of the things you do want.  For example, rather than being scared about the lack of money try develop feelings of appreciation for the money you do have and the things that it buys.

Also, be brave in your wishes. Just because you don’t have much at the moment does not mean that you can’t have more. Your situation can change. This is not about deluding yourself but it is about allowing yourself to feel that there is a different future for you. If this process at times makes you cry that’s okay.

It has become quite traditional for people to have advent calendars. They provide a focus throughout December but you can go way, way, better. You can create some Christmas fun for each day. You could have bowls full of folded paper—one could contain Christmas jokes, another Christmas quotations, and one could contain ideas for pictures to draw, and yet another could contain poems and carols.

In the Resources section at the end of this book there are 24 jokes, 24 quotations, 24 drawing ideas, and 24 poems and carols. If these were written out and placed in bowls you could make a game of having different family members select one each day.

Another great activity to share together is stories. Now you can make up your own or you could go down to your local library and borrow some books. Try taking it in turns to read aloud to each other. The stories don’t have to be about Christmas—that is up to you and your family. If you do want Christmas stories you may have to borrow some books earlier in the year as lots of people borrow books about Christmas as the holiday approaches. If you do get some earlier write out your favourite stories for reading aloud as Christmas approaches.

If you have an internet connection then you have access to a whole library of stories and activities for free. Explore and have fun. If you have some spare pennies then some Christmas colouring and puzzle books could be added to your list of activities.

Gifts

Try be as inventive as you can be so that you either spend nothing or very little. The best gifts sometimes are simply giving up your time to be with another person or to do something for them.

If you have children you will want to get them at least one special gift. If it all possible save up for it but if that is out of the question then ask friends, relatives, shop owners, if there is some work you can do for a couple of hours and tell them what you want the money for. People often have jobs that need to be done like tidying and cleaning that they haven’t got round to doing. Don’t be frightened of asking—the very worst thing that someone can do is say no. They could also laugh or be rude in some way but don’t you take that to mean anything about you—it is telling you about the type of person they are. Just walk away, remind yourself why you’re doing it, smile and go and ask someone else.  As soon as you have enough money, buy the gift(s) and hide them—if you don’t you may be tempted to use the money for everyday things.

Free Christmas Activities

Christmas is a time of many activities and quite a few are free so do check what is going on in your local area. For example, most towns have a special ceremony for switching on Christmas lights.

Many places also have lights and trees that look spectacular when it is dark. It is fun to just walk around and admire them.

There may be carol services in local churches or around trees. You don’t have to sing well to enjoy these.

Churches have services and cribs showing the manger scene.

Some shopping centres have a Santa’s grotto that don’t make a charge—check in advance to avoid disappointment.

Local museums have exhibitions that are free and libraries often have story telling sessions.

In larger towns there may be amazing Christmas windows to go and look at it.

Christmas Day

Make the day as special as you can. Plan ahead so that you can all have some fun time together. Talk about the things you have done during December and enjoy making a meal together. If you have very little money for food please arrange to visit a food bank before Christmas so that you will have food on Christmas day.

“The focus of Christmas for so many people has become material things and experiences and these can never make them happy for longer than a moment or two. The spirit of Christmas—the love, the sharing, the reflection on life and living can feed their souls for the rest of the year.”

6 Children/No Children

“Christmas is for anyone who wishes to celebrate life and living—whatever their age.”

The buzz around children and Christmas is enormous: toys… games… presents… Santa Claus… films… Christmas lists… stockings… nativity plays… cookies… books… trips to grottos and tree lighting ceremonies and much, much more. Yet in the past Christmas was much more an adult affair.

In the UK, it was only in Victorian times when the idea of Father Christmas took hold that more people began to buy cards and presents. As children became involved in rituals such as decorating the Christmas tree they also became part of Christmas with gifts being hung on the tree for them.

If you have children, especially young ones, your Christmas will be very different from the type of Christmas that adults without children or with grown up children have. However, these differences are primarily to do with the type of activities you participate in and the type of things you buy. The essence of Christmas is the same for all.

Santa sees the foundation of a great Christmas for both children and adults as being one that moves the focus away from material things and experiences to gratitude/appreciation and wishes/planning forward. This change is a way of being more proactive about life and making decisions that are more conscious. Neither, of course, precludes having lots of fun… As Santa says:

“Christmas should always be fun.”

Christmas with Children

Christmas with young children can be quite magical. The awe and excitement they experience when anticipating a visit from Santa or watching the lights being switched on a Christmas tree or listening to the story of Jesus being born is wonderful.

Children’s more innocent appreciation of the magic of Christmas compels many parents to spend vast amounts of money to ensure their children have the best Christmas they possibly can. But, sadly, unless they are clear about the meaning of Christmas they often send their children very mixed messages.

“Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for parents to share their values with their children.”

It is not a good example for children to watch parents worrying about money at Christmas or getting cross at relatives. Show your children how wonderful Christmas can be whatever your circumstances. Trying to pretend that things are okay if they aren’t is not generally a good idea.

“Parents must remember that their actions say a lot more than their words and that their little ones miss nothing.”

Talk to your children about the meaning of Christmas, share your views with them, tell them about your ideal Christmas, share with them how Christmas can be wonderful regardless of your situation. As soon as your children are old enough, involve them so they are an integral part of everything to do with Christmas and not just the recipients of your ideas and work. You may be quite surprised at the views your children have on Christmas.

Christmas is not just for children it is for everyone and it is much healthier if parents place the focus on the family being together and sharing things rather than solely on the children.

“One of the things that seems to happen is that as soon as adults have children they forget that Christmas is for everyone and focus solely on giving their children as much as possible. This is not always the best thing to do.”

Presents

Do you buy a large number of gifts for your children? If yes, ask yourself why? As a child, did you receive lots of presents? Do you think that lots of presents are necessary for a good Christmas? If your answer is that your children have come to expect it then it is a tradition you started—is it working for you, for them?

Over the years the number of presents and the type of presents that children receive has changed enormously. The idea that children need a great number of presents probably started in the Victorian era but at that point the gifts were small and much more simple as they were often hung on the Christmas tree—fruit, candies, nuts, hand-made trinkets, ribbons, pencils,  small wooden toys, music scores.

There is no harm in giving a large number of presents if that is what you want to do, as long as you have the money, but don’t feel compelled to. Christmas can be about so much more. The reality is that no one needs a vast amount of material things in one go, and too many items can be as stressful as receiving none at all. You know your situation the best so choose the best way forward for you and your family.

Getting your children to think about why they want certain things will help them to clarify what is important to them and soon they will be developing their own unique meaning for Christmas. Their true, inner, wishes will surprise and delight you when they share them with you.

“The challenge all parents face is to identify accurately what it is that their children really want—so many times it has nothing to do with toys or games.”

Santa Claus

The story of Santa Claus or some other gift-giving individual is a lovely story for children but they should never be lead to believe that all their presents come from Santa. To have them believe that all their gifts arrive via Santa is just too much of a lie and can lead to many problems later. The sooner children know that the majority of their gifts come from their parents the easier it will be for them when they learn that the gift-giving individual doesn’t exist in the way they think he does.

Santa Claus is a benevolent figure who likes to give out gifts and make wishes come true. He would never give a child a lump of coal or punish them in any way. Never try discipline a child by threatening them with a lack of presents. Instead, talk to your child about how when they are happy and nice they attract good things to themselves, and when they are miserable and nasty they attract not so nice things into their lives.

Jesus and the Nativity

The story of the birth of Jesus is an integral part of Christmas. Your children, regardless of your faith, will be exposed to the nativity story through friends, school, media, or the internet.

The story appears in the New Testament of the bible in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. The information they provide forms the basis of the majority of nativity plays. If you are unfamiliar with the story as it appears in the Bible you can read it in the Resources section.

More Than Just One Day

Take the focus away from Christmas day itself. Encourage your children to think of Christmas as a great deal more than receiving presents on Christmas Day. Explore with them the meaning of Christmas—whether that be Christian, secular, or some combination.

Have fun throughout December with the Christmas boxes and some activity like a Christmas story or drawing each day. Encourage your children to think about how they can help others; get them to think about gifts that they can give that will cost them nothing.

Christmas Without Children

Christmas can seem to have less meaning for adults as they get older. For some, Christmas can seem like a lot of fuss about nothing. It can feel annoying to buy cards and send them to people you never see or hear from and to neighbours whose names you don’t know.

Adult children can also be a source of a lack of joy if they now prefer money instead of gifts.

“The adults who think Christmas is not for them are the very people who need it the most.”

If you allow Christmas into your life, it can be a time of renewal and relaxation but the choice is yours. You can have the most lavish Christmas, the most happy Christmas, the most fun Christmas, or the most unhappy, miserable, grumpy one.

As you don’t have children to place your focus on you have to make a very conscious choice about how you spend Christmas. If you’ve just sort of been letting it happen and it has got stale then sit down, right now, and work out what you would prefer to be doing. Remember there are no rules—you can participate as much or as little as you want.

If you chose to ignore Christmas, ask yourself why? If your answer has anything to do with others, for example not feeling appreciated enough or being taken for granted, then think a little bit more. Remember no one else is responsible for making you feel good at Christmas—not your partner, your parents, your adult children or any other family members, your friends, your church, your employer, your neighbours, society in general. Just you.

What is it that you can do to feel wonderful at Christmas?

If you always visit family in some form, do you enjoy it? If you don’t, ask yourself what the problem is. As you can’t change anyone else, is there something you can do to make the day pleasanter? Now that may be not going or it may be going and being intent on being so nice that everyone else will be happier as well.

If you are the Christmas Organiser and have been for many years, are you still happy doing it? Do you want to do it differently? Do you want to stop doing it? What is it that would make your Christmas better?

Adults without children are very fortunate to have lots more time available to devote to appreciating their lives and planning for the year ahead. The Christmas boxes can become very central for them and they can also spend more time thinking about the gifts they want to give.

“On the subject of gifts, parents of adult children should feel free to choose what they wish to give to their children and grandchildren as presents. “

If you always contact your children to find out what to buy for them or their children, don’t. Simply choose what you would most like to get them. It’s your gift, your choice, savour it, enjoy it.

More than anything else choose to have fun. Get an outrageous tree, hang up decorations, go look at the lights, buy yourself amazing treats, give yourself the gift of time to appreciate and reflect.

Christmas can be as fun, simple, complicated, boring, interesting, miserable or as happy as you want. Own your Christmas and don’t cop out by saying it is just for children because you know that’s not true. Plan yourself a magical Christmas.

“Christmas is always for everyone.”

7 Santa

“I, Santa, exist in the hearts and minds of all human beings.”

These days Santa is most usually portrayed as a real human person with magical abilities that enable him to get reindeer to fly and presents delivered across the globe. The reason people ‘see’ him that way is because that is the most accepted idea of him at that moment.

In the past, Santa has been portrayed as thin, short, wearing green or blue robes, and even smoking a pipe. The current image of a plump and jolly man with white hair, a beard, and red robes is pretty much recognised across the planet. Whilst some differences will always be there this particular view is likely to remain with us for a long time.

The origins of human beliefs in Santa type figures are not clear but it is the case that, in virtually all countries, legends developed that were inspired by a particular individual’s generosity. In most of these cases a figure, such as Santa, was adopted as reflecting that generosity and kindness.

The essence of Santa will always exist in whatever form people conceive him, or her, to be. But Santa is not just this invented image, he is a great deal more. Over the last one hundred years there have been many films made and books written that have ‘fixed’ Santa as a man of a certain age doing certain things and living, albeit in a hidden location, somewhere on earth. He isn’t and he doesn’t and by solely focusing on him as this character people can miss the truly important aspect of what Santa means and is.

Santa’s puzzlement at why so many people have a miserable Christmas stems, in part, from him not being human and therefore not being able to grasp fully how humans don’t always do the best for themselves. It is strangely very difficult to explain why humans often focus on the negative, don’t understand that their thoughts influence what happens to them, and so often feel miserable.

Santa is real but we have often misunderstood him and simplified him into something he isn’t. The reason stories and legends have developed around a character like Santa in so many different countries is because it is a way in which people can teach their children important lessons about life. But many adults have forgotten this, and some have never known the true meaning of Santa.

Santa is not about presents, and he never punishes any child. Santa is about learning that we receive what we think about and ask for.

The Wishing Law

“There is a law that never changes and it is this—whatever you put your energy into that is what you will attract to you.”

The idea of Santa Claus is a way of teaching children that they can think beyond where they currently are. Unfortunately, many children are taught to ask Santa for material things. Now there is nothing wrong with things but Santa is about the Wishing Law more generally and he wants children, and adults, to understand that.

The crude way Santa is often explained today is that if children are good then they will receive presents, if they are bad they will receive coal or nothing. When presented in this way the whole idea of Santa can frighten children. The misunderstanding has arisen from believing that naughty or bad behaviour is punished in some way by Santa, God, karma, or some other being. It isn’t.

The Law is straightforward—whatever you put your focus on you will attract to you. So, simplistically—if your behaviour is bad in some way then you will attract to yourself bad things and if your behaviour is good in some way then you will attract good things.

There is no judgement by anyone or any being. You, like everybody else, create your own experiences. The very basic fact that you can choose what you think is the essence and foundation of free will.

So the idea that children who are bad don’t get presents is sort of right but the way it is taught is not healthy because the child needs to be taught not just that their behaviour has consequences but that they can make choices and that it is their choices that determine what happens to them. Making them feel frightened is not helpful.

Now adults have problems communicating this to children because they themselves often don’t understand it. People so easily dismiss phrases like ‘thoughts create reality’, ‘you are what you think’, ‘like attracts  like’ as if they are so well known to them that they need no attention at all or as if they are expressions that only new age types use that have no meaning for anyone else.

The reality is that simply hearing the words or even understanding what they mean is not enough. If no personal action is taken, if no effort is placed on changing your thoughts then your life will remains as it is.

“There is a law that never changes and it is this—whatever you think about is what you are wishing for.”

The reason you don’t always get what you have thought about is because some other later thought may have over ridden and sort of cancelled the first one out. Now, trying to understand how the whole process works, how things happen when they do, is something that humans are not well equipped to do and it is unnecessary.

Do you feel that you have to understand the mechanics of how gravity works before you allow yourself to walk across the room? No, you just walk. In the same way, you don’t need to understand the mechanism of the Wishing Law. You just need to know that what you think about leads to what you receive and experience.

It is very simple. The more happy you can feel, the happier you will feel. The more gratitude you can feel for your health, the healthier you will feel. The more appreciation you can feel for the money that you receive, the more money will come to you.

If you really want red shoes but think a lot about green shoes you are not going to get red shoes.

If you want to feel good about yourself but spend most of your time feeling depressed and useless or hating the way you look then you are more likely to feel miserable than good.

It is not possible to ask for one thing and get another—if you feel that all your wishes are always ignored you must check inside your own mind for the reason why. One of the most common reasons is that whilst you may really want something you don’t actually believe it is possible.

The purpose of Santa’s visit was to produce this little book to show you how you can use the Law to change your Christmas so that it is truly wonderful whatever your current circumstances.

“If people can create a wonderful Christmas for themselves and their loved ones, then they can go on to create wonderful lives as well. Anything is possible when you know how.”

The essence of Santa is the essence of the Wishing Law. Rather than seeing Santa just as a jolly man who brings presents, understand that Santa can transform any aspect of your life if you will let him by the Law—you can ask Santa for anything.

Just be clear—there isn’t a man who is going to come and change your health, your wealth, your job, your car, or whatever it is. What will happen is if you believe in Santa (the Law) the universe will bring to you those things you ask for.

Young children have no problem in believing in Santa—they believe that their wishes will come true. Of course the depth of this will vary from child to child depending on how Santa has been presented to them. Some parents can create so much anxiety around Christmas that some children become so focused on their behaviour being ‘good’ that they lose the ability to feel happy about what they want and hence don’t attract it.

At some point all children learn that Santa as the man who has flying reindeer and delivers presents the world over doesn’t exist. This is the perfect time to explain to them about the way in which Santa does exist. That the Santa story is a way of showing little children that they can have things they want—that they can dream and have wishes. That Santa (the Law) is available to everyone and that it is okay to believe in Santa because it is through him that their wishes get sent out into the universe and find their way to the people who can make them happen.

“Without realising it, parents have been teaching their little ones about the Law and that is the greatest gift they could give them.”

The Law of course does not just bring good things. It is running though everything that happens. It is completely neutral and simply brings you what you focus on.

“There is an energy that runs through everything. This energy is pure love and beauty but it can become other things if people let their thoughts be unkind or dark in any way. The energy reflects and attracts what is happening inside a person.”

Now, if you are ill, have little money, or have some other problem you may be feeling a range of confused emotions—you know you don’t want to be where you are and you know that you have been asking and thinking about what you do want. It can feel as if you are being punished in some way or being blamed. You can feel guilty and bad and…

Stop right there. You are where you are right now.

You are not going to help yourself, or anyone else, by feeling bad about it or finding someone to blame or by feeling guilty. Get neutral. Look at where you are say ‘okay that’s where I am—just now. Tomorrow I will be somewhere else’. Yes, you will—the weather will have changed, your cells will have changed, your thoughts will be different…

Immediately find ten things you can be grateful for and really feel grateful for them and keep doing that until your mood changes. You may have very little in the way of wealth but if you allow yourself to be feel and think differently you can have the greatest riches in the world.

“The Wishing Law, like all natural laws, simply functions. People can see it in their lives every day. They know that if they start their day in a bad mood things just keep on getting worse. Yet if they start out happy they often have days filled with wonder and joy. This is not chance or luck or coincidence—it is the Law in action.”

You don’t have to ‘believe’ anything because the Law will work, is working right now, will always be working whether you are aware of it or not.

The idea of Santa is a way of using the Law in a conscious way by focusing on what you do want rather than just letting things happen to you and around you.

“I suppose it may seem strange to some people but the truth of me, of Santa Claus, is to reflect to them what is within their feelings and thoughts.”

There will be some people who may become upset by these ideas because they have chosen to believe that their lives are controlled by someone else or another being or karma or destiny or something. That is their choice. There are many beliefs, many faiths, many paths, and the focus of all of them, in some way, is to attain happiness. So, if the idea of the Wishing Law upsets you simply ignore it—you have that choice. If this book annoys you then stop reading it—you have that choice. You also have the choice to have an open mind and to at least think about the idea of Santa as a reflection of the Wishing Law.

You can think how good thoughts lead to happier times, and how not so good thoughts leave you feeling miserable. Choose your thoughts and you can be free from where you are.

Understand that Santa can never bring you or anyone else something bad. Santa can only ever bring you what you ask for and you ask through your focus on your feelings and your thoughts.

“Santa is as real as you want him to be.”

8 Your New Christmas

“Christmas is for you—for you to spend in the way that is best for you.”

As Christmas comes round every twelve months, it is easier if you know what you want to do well in advance. You’ve probably already come up with some ideas. Don’t worry if Christmas is only a few weeks or even days away—you can still make some changes especially in how you think about Christmas.

Meaning

The meaning you assign to Christmas will depend on many factors but, hopefully, will include gratitude and wishes.

Christmas Month

Set up your tree and decorations on the first day of December and let Christmas take over the whole month. If you like, you can set up Christmas boxes for thank-yous and wishes at the same time.

Advent calendars have become quite usual and you can extend the idea of doing something each day a bit further by also selecting a joke, quotation, poem, story, or picture to colour—see the Resources section for some ideas.

Traditions

If the way you have ‘done’ Christmas in the past no longer works for you then it is time to introduce some new traditions. Chose a different way of doing things or invent some new traditions and enjoy them. You’ll know very quickly what works for you and what doesn’t and you can simply get rid of the things that don’t work and keep those that do. You can of course change them again anytime you want.

Wish Fulfilling Tree

A tree provides a point of focus for Christmas within your home. It doesn’t matter how big it is whether it is a real tree or not or even a drawn one stuck to the wall.

Let your tree be your link between yourself and Santa. Enjoy placing gifts, real and/or imagined, under it and on it, wishes all over it or in your Christmas box. Spend time quietly in its company thinking about your life and what you would like to do.

Christmas Cards

When writing out cards, whether they are for people you know very well or very little, take a little time to alter your frame of mind before you start. Don’t see the job as an irritation or a nuisance. If you are going to do it then enjoy it. As you write out your message of good wishes try feel that you really are sending these people good wishes. Hope they have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. The more you generate this feeling of wanting others to be happier, the easier and happier you will feel.

Family

Spend time with family if you want to but don’t if it’s not right for you.

Really appreciate the people you do spend your Christmas with—each and every one of them is a unique individual. You won’t always agree, in fact life would be quite dull if you did. Respect others and allow them to be who they are.

Money

Keep Christmas within your budget even if that budget is zero.

Gifts

Ensure any gifts, whether they are your time or things, are genuinely from you—only give a gift if you really want to.

Giving

Never feel obliged to give either your money or time to charities. If you give, give with a happy and joyful frame of mind and imagine your gift being multiplied many thousands of times. Only give when you have the time or the money to spare.

Honesty

Be honest with yourself. If you are unhappy with the way things are at Christmas you can change them. Start by changing how you think about Christmas and then bring about changes to actual events. Please remember there is only person responsible for making your Christmas happy and that is you.

“Your Christmas is always as good as you imagine it to be.”

End Word

This book has been an absolute pleasure to write. A few years ago I changed the way I celebrated Christmas because I longed for more meaning and less focus on ‘things’ and Christmas has become much more fun for me. I believe it was that process that led to Santa coming to see me and asking me to share his concerns, and his suggestions, with you.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the book and I hope you’ve found some ideas to help make your next Christmas the best one you have ever had.

Now let me give way to Santa for the last word.

“It really doesn’t matter how people celebrate Christmas as long as they are happy. Christmas is always perfect if you are happy.

Merry Christmas!”

Resources

The Nativity Story

The nativity story appears in the New Testament in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. To appreciate the story in its entirety it is necessary to move from one gospel to another.

Luke 1: 26-35

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

He went in and said to her, “Rejoice, you who enjoy favour! The Lord is with you.” She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.

Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God”.

Matthew 1:18-25

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her quietly.

He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” a name which means 'God is with us'.

When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took Mary as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Luke 2: 1-21

Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world.

This census—the first—took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

In the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night. An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them.

They were terrified, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger”.

And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favours.

Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us”.

So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them.

As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.

When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

Matthew 2:1-11

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, suddenly some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east asking, “Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage”.

When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

They told him, “At Bethlehem in Judaea, for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel'.”

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared and sent them on to Bethlehem with the words, “Go and find out all about the child, and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage”.

Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And suddenly the star they had seen rising went forward and halted over the place where the child was.

The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Christmas Quotations

Many people have things to say about Christmas. Below are twenty-four quotations to ponder.

1

The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect!

Charles N. Barnard

2

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

Oren Arnold

3

There is no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions.

Bill McKibben

4

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

Calvin Coolidge

5

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.

Roy L. Smith

6

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!

Dr. Seuss

7

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

Charles Dickens

8

Christmas… is not an external event at all, but a piece of one's home that one carries in one's heart.

Freya Stark

9

I don't think Christmas is necessarily about things. It's about being good to one another, it's about the Christian ethic, it's about kindness.

Carrie Fisher

10

The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.

Charles Dudley Warner

11

Now, the essence, the very spirit of Christmas is that we first make believe a thing is so, and lo, it presently turns out to be so.

Stephen Leacock

12

Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first.

George Matthew Adams

13

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas time.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

14

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale

15

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?

Bob Hope

16

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly.

Andy Rooney

17

Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.

Charles M. Schulz

18

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.

Agnes M. Pahro

19

It comes every year and will go on forever.

Marjorie Holmes

20

Peace on earth will come to stay,

When we live Christmas every day.

Helen Steiner Rice

21

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.

Peg Bracken

22

Christmas is a bridge. We need bridges as the river of time flows past. Today's Christmas should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow and reliving those of yesterday.

Gladys Taber

23

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.

Harlan Miller

24

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.

Eric Sevareid

Christmas Jokes

Twenty-four Christmas jokes to make you laugh, smile, or groan…

What king is the children's favourite at Christmas time?

Stocking

Who delivers presents to cats?

Santa Paws!

What says Oh Oh Oh?

Santa walking backwards!

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

Frostbite!

What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations?

Tinsilitis!

What do you get if you cross a bell with a skunk?

Jingle Smells!

Where does a snowman keep his money?

In a snow bank.

Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?

A mince spy!

What do reindeer have that no other animals have?

Baby reindeer!

What falls but never hurts itself?

Snow.

What do monkeys sing at Christmas?

Jungle Bells! Jungle Bells! Jungle Bells!

What do sheep say to shepherds at Christmastime?

Season's Bleatings!

What comes at the end of Christmas Day?

The letter "Y"!

Knock, Knock

Who's there?

Holly

Holly who?

Holly-days are here again

Which reindeer have the smallest legs?

The shortest ones.

What kind are Santa's most favourite cookies?

The round kind.

What do snowmen eat for breakfast?

Ice Krispies or Snow Flakes

What is big, red and flies in the sky?

Santa Clause!

What’s as big as Santa but weighs nothing?

Santa’s shadow!

What did the big candle say to the little candle?

I’m going out tonight.

What do witches use to wrap their presents?

Spello-tape.

Did you hear about the cracker's Christmas party?

It went with a bang!

Why do reindeer scratch themselves?

Because they’re the only ones who know where they itch.

Where do snowmen find out information?

The Winternet!

Christmas Drawing Ideas

1. A Christmas tree

2. Patterns with Christmas tree baubles

3. Merry Christmas—the words, big and bold

4. Candy canes

5. Santa’s sleigh

6. Santa Claus

7. Reindeer

8. A Christmas pudding

9. Christmas angels

10. A Christmas wreath

11. The nativity scene

12. Christmas birds

13. A Christmas star

14. A Snowman

15. Bells

16. Toys

17. Christmas cake

18. The North Pole

19. Patterns with snowballs

20. Holiday candles

21. Christmas stockings

22. A snow globe

23. Patterns with snowflakes

24. Lots of presents

Poems and Carols

1 Jingle Bells

Dashing through the snow

In a one horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bob tails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to laugh and sing

A sleighing song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a one horse open sleigh

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a one horse open sleigh

James Pierpoint

2 A Christmas Wish

I’d like a stocking made for a giant.

And a meeting house full of toys.

Then I’d go out in a happy hunt

For the poor little girls and boys;

Up the street and down the street.

And across and over the town,

And search and find them every one.

Before the sun went down.

One would want a new jack-knife

Sharp enough to cut;

One would long for a doll with hair

And eyes that open and shut;

One would ask for a china set

With dishes all to her mind;

One would wish for a Noah's ark

With beasts of every kind.

Some would like a doll’s cook-stove

And a little toy wash tub;

Some would prefer a little drum,

For a noisy rub-a-dub;

Some would wish for a story book,

And some for a set of blocks;

Some would be wild with happiness

Over a new tool-box.

And some would rather have little shoes,

And other things warm to wear;

For many children are very poor

And the winter is hard to bear;

I'd buy soft flannels for little frocks,

And a thousand stockings or so,

And the jolliest little coats and cloaks

To keep out the frost and snow.

I’d load a wagon with caramels

And candy of every kind.

And buy all the almond and pecan nuts

And taffy that I could find;

And barrels and barrels of oranges

I’d scatter right in the way.

So the children would find them

The very first thing

When they wake on Christmas day.

Eugene Field

3 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,

All seated on the ground,

The angel of the Lord came down,

And glory shone around.

“Fear not,” said he (for mighty dread

Had seized their troubled minds);

“Glad tidings of great joy I bring

To you and all mankind.

“To you, in David’s town, this day

Is born of David’s line

The Saviour who is Christ the Lord;

And this shall be the sign:

“The heavenly Babe you there shall find

To human view displayed,

All meanly wrapt in swathing bands,

And in a manger laid.”

Thus spake the Seraph; and forthwith

Appeared a shining throng

Of angels, praising God, and thus

Addressed their joyful song:

“All glory be to God on high,

And to the earth be peace;

Good-will henceforth from heaven to men

Begin, and never cease!”

Nahum Tate

4 Dance of the Snowflakes

"Let's dance to the brown old earth to-night!"

Cried one little flake of snow;

"The autumn days have all passed by,

I'm tired of my home here in the sky."

So they all agreed to go.

They dressed themselves in a misty film

Of purest pearly white;

Their feet were clad in velvet down,

As soft and white as the filmy gown

They wore to the dance that night.

Wrapped 'round with a drape of raveled gauze

Were these little fays so fair.

When out from a cloud a pale star beamed,

Bright diamonds sparkled, laughed, and gleamed

In their fleecy, tangled hair.

All ready, so pretty a crowd were they

That naught could their charms enhance;

Then softly and quickly they sped away,

For the whisp'ring wind was the cab that they

Rode in to the snowflakes' dance.

They flew over housetop, hilltop, dell,

With dances and with delight.

Though ne'er did sound of their presence tell;

Wherever their fairy footsteps fell,

All turned to a crystal white.

In the daintiest robes the trees were dressed,

That ever you'd wish to see;

The wayworn traveller, he was blessed,

And stroked, and kissed, and soft-caressed,

By these fays in rapturous glee.

Into every crevice and crack they peeped,

They danced till the morning light;

They left the print of their tiny feet

O'er country road and city street,

In frolicsome fun that night.

When the rosy face of the morning sun

Peeped timidly out to view,

He beheld the earth, last night so brown,

Arrayed in a snow-white velvet gown

That sparkled like dancing dew.

Esther Nelson Karn

5 Away in a Manger

Away in a manger,

No crib for His bed

The little Lord Jesus

Laid down His sweet head.

The stars in the bright sky

Looked down where He lay

The little Lord Jesus

Asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing

The poor Baby awakes

But little Lord Jesus

No crying He makes.

I love Thee, Lord Jesus

Look down from the sky

And stay by my side,

'Til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,

I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever

And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children

In Thy tender care

And take us to heaven

To live with Thee there

Anon

6 Christmas

Dainty little stockings

Hanging in a row,

Blue and gray and scarlet,

In the firelight's glow:

Curly-pated sleepers

Safely tucked in bed;

Dreams of wondrous toy-shops

Dancing through each head:

Mother, stepping lightly,

Plans with tender care,

How to give each dreamer

Just an equal share.

Funny little stockings

Hanging in a row,

Stuffed with sweet surprises,

Down from top to toe,

Skates and balls and trumpets,

Dishes, tops, and drums,

Books and dolls and candies,

Nuts and sugar-plums.

Little sleepers waking:

Bless me, what a noise!

Wish you merry Christmas,

Happy girls and boys!

Ruth Revere

7 We Wish You a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin,

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding,

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding,

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding

And a cup of good cheer

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin,

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

We won't go until we get some,

We won't go until we get some,

We won't go until we get some,

So bring some out here

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin,

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

Anon

8 'Twas the Night before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name

"Now, Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!

On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Clement C. Moore

9 Sly Santa Claus

All the house was asleep,

And the fire burning low,

When, from far up the chimney,

Came down a "Ho! Ho!"

And a little, round man,

With a terrible scratching,

Dropped into the room

With a wink that was catching.

Yes, down he came, bumping,

And thumping, and jumping,

And picking himself up without sign

of a bruise!

"Ho! Ho!" he kept on,

As if bursting with cheer.

"Good children, gay children,

Glad children, see here!

I have brought you fine dolls,

And gay trumpets, and rings,

Noah's arks, and bright skates,

And a host of good things!

I have brought a whole sackful,

A packful, a hackful!

Come hither, come hither, come hither

and choose!

"Ho! ho! What is this?

Why, they all are asleep!

But their stockings are up,

And my presents will keep!

So, in with the candies,

The books, and the toys;

All the goodies I have

For the good girls and boys.

I'll ram them, and jam them,

And slam them, and cram them;

All the stockings will hold while the

tired youngsters snooze."

All the while his round shoulders

Kept ducking and ducking;

And his little, fat fingers

Kept tucking and tucking;

Until every stocking

Bulged out, on the wall,

As if it were bursting and ready to fall.

And then, all at once,

With a whisk and a whistle,

And twisting himself

Like a tough bit of gristle,

He bounced up again,

Like the down of a thistle,

And nothing was left but the prints of his shoes.

C. S. Stone

10 Once in Royal David’s City

Once in royal David’s city

Stood a lowly cattle-shed

Where a mother laid her Baby,

In a manger for His bed.

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven,

Who is God and Lord of all,

And His shelter was a stable,

And His cradle was a stall.

With the poor, and mean, and lowly

Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood,

He would honour and obey.

Love and watch the lowly mother

In whose gentle arms He lay.

Christian children, all must be

Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood’s Pattern,

Day by day like us He grew;

He was little, weak, and helpless,

Tears and smiles like us He knew:

And He feeleth for our sadness,

And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,

Through His own redeeming love,

For that Child so dear and gentle

Is our Lord in Heaven above;

And He leads His children on

To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,

We shall see Him; but in Heaven,

Set at God’s right hand on high;

When like stars His children crowned,

All in white shall wait around.

C. Frances Alexander

11 Good King Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas looked out

On the feast of Stephen

When the snow lay round about

Deep and crisp and even.

Brightly shone the moon that night

Though the frost was cruel

When a poor man came in sight

Gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me

If thou know's it, telling

Yonder peasant, who is he?

Where and what is his dwelling?"

"Sire, he lives a good league hence

Underneath the mountain

Right against the forest fence

By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine

Bring me pine logs hither

Thou and I will see him dine

When we bear him thither."

Page and monarch forth they went

Forth they went together

Through the rude wind's wild lament

And the bitter weather

"Sire, the night is darker now

And the wind blows stronger

Fails my heart, I know not how,

I can go no longer."

"Mark my footsteps, my good page

Tread thou in them boldly

Thou shalt find the winter's rage

Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod

Where the snow lay dinted

Heat was in the very sod

Which the Saint had printed

Therefore, Christian men, be sure

Wealth or rank possessing

Ye who now will bless the poor

Shall yourselves find blessing

John Mason Neale

12 We Three Kings

We three kings of Orient are

Bearing gifts we traverse afar

Field and fountain, moor and mountain

Following yonder star.

O Star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy Perfect Light.

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain

Gold I bring to crown Him again

King forever, ceasing never

Over us all to reign.

O Star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to Thy perfect light.

Frankincense to offer have I

Incense owns a Deity nigh

Prayer and praising, all men raising

Worship Him, God most high.

O Star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to Thy perfect light.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume

Breathes of life of gathering gloom

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying

Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

O Star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to Thy perfect light.

Glorious now behold Him arise

King and God and Sacrifice

Alleluia, Alleluia

Earth to heav'n replies.

O Star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to Thy perfect light.

John Henry Hopkins

13 Christmas in the Olden Time

On Christmas eve the bells were rung,

The damsel donned her kirtle sheen,

The hall was dressed with holly green,

Forth to the wood did merry men go

To gather in the mistletoe.

Thus opened wide the baron's hall

To vassal, tenant, serf and all.

Power laid his rod of rule aside

And ceremony doffed his pride.

The heir, with roses in his shoes,

That night might village partner choose.

The lord, underogating, share

The vulgar game of "Post and Pair."

All hailed, with uncontrolled delight,

And general voice, the happy night

That to the cottage, as the crown,

Brought tidings of salvation down.

The fire, with well-dried logs supplied,

Went roaring up the chimney wide.

The huge hall-table's oaken face,

Scrubbed till it shone, the day to grace,

Bore then upon its massive board

No mark to part the squire and lord.

Then was brought in the lusty brawn

By old blue-coated serving man.

Then the grim boar's head frowned on high,

Crested with bays and rosemary.

Well can the green-garbed ranger tell

How, when and where the monster fell;

What dogs before his death he tore,

And all the baitings of the boar.

The wassal round, in good brown bowls,

Garnished with ribbons, blithely trowls.

There the huge sirloin reeked: hard by

Plum-porridge stood, and Christmas pye.

Nor failed old Scotland to produce,

At such high-tide, her savory goose.

Then came the merry maskers in,

And carols roared with blithesome din.

If unmelodious was the song,

It was a hearty note, and strong.

Who lists may in their murmuring see

Traces of ancient mystery.

White shirts supplied the masquerade,

And smutted cheeks the visors made.

But O, what maskers richly dight,

Can boast of bosoms half so light!

England was "merry England" when

Old Christmas brought his sports again.

'Twas Christmas broached the mightiest ale,

'Twas Christmas told the merriest tale;

A Christmas gambol oft would cheer

The poor man's heart through half the year.

Walter Scott

14 Santa Claus

He comes in the night! He comes in the night!

He softly, silently comes.

While the little brown heads on the pillows so white

Are dreaming of bugles and drums,

He cuts through the snow like a ship through the foam,

While the white flakes around him whirl.

Who tells him I know not, but he findeth the home

Of each good little boy and girl.

His sleigh it is long, and deep, and wide,

It will carry a host of things,

While dozens of drums hang over the side,

With the sticks sticking under the strings:

And yet not the sound of a drum is heard,

Not a bugle blast is blown,

As he mounts to the chimney-top like a bird,

And drops to the hearth like a stone.

The little red stockings he silently fills,

Till the stockings will hold no more;

The bright little sleds for the great snow hills

Are quickly set down on the floor.

Then Santa Claus mounts to the roof like a bird,

And glides to his seat in the sleigh;

Not the sound of a bugle or drum is heard

As he noiselessly gallops away.

He rides to the East, and he rides to the West,

Of his goodies he touches not one;

He eateth the crumbs of the Christmas feast

When the dear little folks are done.

Old Santa Claus doeth all that he can,

This beautiful mission is his.

Then, children, be good to the little old man,

When you find who the little man is.

Anon

15 Twelve O’Clock, and All’s Well

(A Christmas Rhyme of Might-Have-Been.)

I know of an Owl,

A story-book Owl,

And he dwells in a Cloudland tree,

So way-high-up you never see

A glimpse of the great white fowl.

And this ancient fowl,

This story-book Owl,

Sometimes to himself he speaks

Once in a thousand years or so

In a voice that crackles and creaks

And never is heard by the children below:

"Tu-whit! tu-whoo!

I sleep by day,

Of course I do

It's the sensible way."

For when little children lie fast asleep,

And darkness enshrouds the world so deep,

And weary eyes close to gaze only in dreams,

This story-book bird

With the big round eyes,

Whom nothing escapes,

So knowing and wise,

Watches and peers, with never a wink,

Into crannies and nooks where one might think

No danger would come, so peaceful it seems.

And prying about, this story-book bird

In the snowy thick

Of a Christmas eve

If you will believe

Just in the nick

Found the strangest thing that ever you heard.

Santa Klaus asleep,

All down in a heap,

On the floor of his sleigh

Ready packed for the way!

And think of the stockings swaying

At 'leven o' the night,

With the silent firelight

All over them fitfully playing

A dangling host

From the chimney nails

As warm as toast

But empty, pitiful,

They promise a million wails

From just one city-full!

"Tu-whit! to-whoo!

Here's a to-do!"

Said the sleepless bird,

The wise old owl,

The watchful fowl.

He flew and he whirred,

Soft Cloudland exploring,

Led up like an arrow

By the wildest of snoring,

Till he stopped,

Then dropped

On the edge of a cloud

Oh, the snoring was loud!

Then stalked to that sleigh.

Ah, what a fine dose!

He flashed out one claw, and

Tweaked Santa Klaus' nose.

Santa woke with a jump,

Sat up in his sleigh,

Rubbed his nose

And I don't suppose

Understands to this day

And gazing around he took in the plight,

He seized his reins in the funniest fright,

And down he came in the snowy midnight

All rosy and bright

The great, merry elf,

Just like himself,

Bluster and noise, nonsense and fun,

With gifts for the children, everyone.

While, soft and far, every bell

Chimed "Twelve o' the clock and all's well!"

And the slumbering world might have heard

The great white wide-winged story-book bird

A-calling "Merry Christmas!" forth in glee

As he flew up to his Cloudland tree.

And the Owl never told

I alone knew

So don't you tell, whatever you do.

How near the world came to a disaster most shocking,

Waking Christmas morning without a filled stocking!

M.S.E.P.

16 Silent Night, Holy Night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and Child.

Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,

Shepherds quake at the sight,

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ the Saviour is born,

Christ the Saviour is born!

Silent night, holy night,

Son of God, love’s pure light,

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night

Wondrous star, lend thy light;

With the angels let us sing,

Alleluia to our King;

Christ the Saviour is born,

Christ the Saviour is born!

Josef Mohr

17 The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

A Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the second day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the third day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

5 Golden Rings,

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

6 Geese a Laying,

5 Golden Rings,

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

7 Swans a Swimming,

6 Geese a Laying,

5 Golden Rings,

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

8 Maids a Milking,

7 Swans a Swimming,

6 Geese a Laying,

5 Golden Rings,

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

9 Ladies Dancing,

8 Maids a Milking,

7 Swans a Swimming,

6 Geese a Laying,

5 Golden Rings,

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

10 Lords a Leaping,

9 Ladies Dancing,

8 Maids a Milking,

7 Swans a Swimming,

6 Geese a Laying

5 Golden Rings,

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

11 Pipers Piping,

10 Lords a Leaping,

9 Ladies Dancing,

8 Maids a Milking,

7 Swans a Swimming,

6 Geese a Laying,

5 Golden Rings,

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

On the first day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

12 Drummers Drumming,

11 Pipers Piping,

10 Lords a Leaping,

9 Ladies Dancing,

8 Maids a Milking,

7 Swans a Swimming,

6 Geese a Laying,

5 Golden Rings,

4 Calling Birds,

3 French Hens,,

2 Turtle Doves,

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Anon

18 The Wassail Song

Here we come a-wassailing

Among the leaves so green,

Here we come a-wandering

So fair to be seen.

Love and joy come to you

And to your wassail too,

And God bless you, and send you

A happy New Year.

We are not daily beggars

That beg from door to door,

But we are neighbours’ children

That you have seen before.

Good Master and good Mistress,

As you sit by the fire,

Pray think of us poor children

Who are wandering in the mire.

Bring us out a table

And spread it with a cloth;

Bring us out a mouldy cheese

And some of your Christmas loaf.

God bless the master of this house,

Likewise the mistress too;

And all the little children

That round the table go.

Anon

19 Christmas Fairies

Oh, the Christmas Fairies are in the air!

They're flitting about us and everywhere.

There's the Fairy of Peace and of Good-will,

And the Fairy of Love that bids no ill

Come on this Christmas Day.

Oh, the Fairy of Cheer sings in the heart,

For the Fairy of Gifts has played its part,

And has brought the Fairy of Gratefulness

For the Saviour's dear Gift of full Redress

On that first Christmas Day.

The Fairy of Laughter goes hand in hand

With the Fairy of feast, throughout the land.

And the Fairy of Song its music brings,

While the Fairy of Bells its rapture rings

On this glad Christmas Day.

Rosamond Livingstone McNaught

20 A Ballad of Santa Claus

Among the earliest saints of old,

before the first Hegira,

I find the one whose name we hold,

St. Nicholas of Myra:

The best-beloved name, I guess,

in sacred nomenclature,

The patron saint of helpfulness,

and friendship, and good-nature.

A bishop and a preacher too,

a famous theologian,

He stood against the Arian crew

and fought them like a Trojan:

But when a poor man told his need

and begged an alms in trouble,

He never asked about his creed,

but quickly gave him double.

Three pretty maidens, so they say,

were longing to be married.

But they were paupers, lack-a-day,

and so the suitors tarried.

St. Nicholas gave each maid

a purse of golden ducats chinking,

And then, for better or for worse,

they wedded quick as winking.

Once, as he sailed, a storm arose,

wild waves the ship surrounded;

The sailors wept and tore their clothes,

and shrieked “We'll all be drownded!”

St. Nicholas never turned a hair,

serenely shone his halo;

He simply said a little prayer,

and all the billows lay low.

The wicked keeper of an inn

had three small urchins taken,

And cut them up in a pickle-bin,

and salted them for bacon.

St. Nicholas came and picked them out,

put their limbs together,

They lived, they leaped, they gave a shout,

“St. Nicholas forever!”

And thus it came to pass, you know,

that maids without a nickel,

And sailor-lads when tempest blow,

and children in a pickle,

And every man that's fatherly,

and every kindly matron,

In choosing saints would all agree

to call St. Nicholas patron.

He comes again at Christmas-time

and stirs us up to giving;

He rings the merry bells that chime

good-will to all the living;

He blesses every friendly deed

and every free donation;

He sows the secret, golden seed of love

through all creation.

Our fathers drank to Santa Claus,

the sixth of each December,

And still we keep his feast

because his virtues we remember.

Among the saintly ranks he stood,

with smiling human features,

And said, “Be good! But not too good

to love your fellow-creatures!”

Henry van Dyke

21 Hie for Christmas!

Bring Frost, bring Snow,

Come winter,

Bring us holly,

Bring joy at Christmas,

Off with Melancholy!

Sing hie, sing hey,

Sing ho,

Sing holly,

Sing hie for Christmas!

Isn’t winter jolly?

Sing Jack, Sing Jill,

Sing Jo,

Sing Polly,

Sing hie for Christmas,

Mistletoe and Holly.

Robert Ellice Mack

22 Hang Up the Baby's Stocking

Hang up the baby's stocking:

Be sure you don't forget.

The dear little dimpled darling!

She ne'er saw Christmas yet.

But I've told her all about it,

And she opened her big blue eyes,

And I'm sure she understood it

She looked so funny and wise.

Dear! What a tiny stocking!

It doesn't take much to hold

Such little pink toes as baby's

Away from the frost and cold.

But then for the baby's Christmas

It will never do at all.

Why, Santa wouldn't be looking

For anything half so small.

I know what will do for the baby.

I've thought of the very best plan.

I'll borrow a stocking of grandma,

The longest that ever I can.

And you'll hang it by mine, dear mother,

Right here in the corner, so!

And write a letter to Santa,

And fasten it on to the toe.

Write, "This is the baby's stocking

That hangs in the corner here.

You never have seen her, Santa,

For she only came this year.

But she's just the blessedest baby!

And now, before you go,

Just cram her stocking with goodies,

From the top clean down to the toe.

Emily Huntington Miller

23 For Christmas-Tide is Here

From our happy home

Through the world we roam

One week in all the year,

Making winter spring

With the joy we bring,

For Christmas-tide is here.

Now the eastern star

Shines from afar

To light the poorest home;

Hearts warmer grow,

Gifts freely flow,

For Christmas-tide is here

Now gay trees rise

Before young eyes,

Abloom with tempting cheer;

Blithe voices sing,

And blithe bells ring,

For Christmas-tide is here.

Oh, happy chime,

Oh, blessed time,

That draws us all so near!

"Welcome, dear day,"

All creatures say,

For Christmas-tide is here.

Loiusa May Alcott

24 King Winter

The sky is dull and grey,

Piercing and chill the blast,

Each step resounds on the frosty ground,

Winter is come at last.

Mamma sits by the fire

Her little ones round her knees.

"How cosy we are, Mamma," they cry,

"Tell us something, if you please".

"Tell us about King Winter,

And about Jack Frost, his man;

We'll not be noisy or naughty at all,

But as good as ever we can".

"Well then;" says mamma, "you, Jenny,

May knit and listen, my dear,

And Johnny may split up wood, to make

The fire burn bright and clear".

King Winter dwells in the North;

Far away in the Frozen Zone,

In a palace of snow he holds his court,

And sits on an icy throne.

He has cushions of course: his Queen

Made them out of her wedding gown.

Stuffing them well with snowflakes fine,

And soft as eiderdown.

The King has a trusty servant,

Jack Frost is his name; his nose

Is raspberry red, his beard is white,

And stiff as a crutch it grows.

Old Jack is a sturdy good fellow,

And serves their Majesties well;

He's here and he's there, and he's everywhere,

And does more than I can tell.

Each year, as the day comes round,

The king and his royal train

Set off on a tour through the wide, wide world,

And sweep over mountain and plain.

His Majesty fails not to visit

Every clime that's not too hot,

To look in upon both high and low,

From the palace down to the cot.

Jack Frost has a busy time then,

But he's helped and advised by the Queen,

That all may be right when the King goes forth,

And everything fit to be seen.

That the King may have pleasant travel,

And no stone hurt his royal toe,

Her Majesty spreads all over the earth,

A carpet of downy snow.

Fine mirrors the King delights in:

None are finer than Jack can make:

And in matchless sheets of crystal clear

He lays them on river and lake.

The trees, all naked and drear,

He robes in the purest white,

And with icicles shining with rainbow hues,

He makes their branches bright.

And for want of buds and blossoms

To strew in his Majesty's way,

With magic flowers of his own device

He makes the windows gay.

These wonders wrought in a single night

May well excite surprise;

Amazed is the sun when he gets up at dawn,

And he stares with all his eyes.

Then out come all the boys and girls,

Jack's handiwork to view,

And their noses and cheeks turn red with cold,

Some of them even turn blue.

They pelt each other with snow,

Roll it up in a mighty ball,

And shout and laugh and scamper about,

And heels over head they fall.

They make a huge man of snow,

As grand as a Russian Czar,

A wooden sword in his hand, in his mouth,

A carrot to serve for cigar.

His eyes, his hair, and his beard,

They paint as black as my shoe

With burnt stick, but they spoil his nose,

For they stick it rather askew.

Then what do you think? For a cockshot

They take him; they pelt him and hit.

They knock of the snowman's ears and nose,

But he does not mind it a bit.

Hurrah! for the good thick ice.

Oh! isn't it jolly? They slide,

They skate, and in sleighs so fine they go,

And swift as the wind they glide.

King Winter laughs at the sport,

Cries "Bravo!" and claps his hands,

And calling in haste for his man, Jack Frost,

He gives him these commands:

"Go see the papas and mammas,

And bring me word what they say:

Have the children been good and well behaved,

Since last I came this way?"

The King trims Christmas trees,

To give to good girls and boys,

With tapers and trinkets of silver and gold,

And all sorts of dainties and toys.

The Queen cuts twigs of birch,

Of birch so supple and keen,

And daintily ties them up into rods

The finest that ever were seen.

Soon with this word to the King

Jack Frost comes back at a trot:

"Good have most of the children been,

But some of them have not."

The King gives him the pretty trees,

The Queen the rods so smart,

And away goes Jack again with his load,

Till every house has its part.

Cakes, mince-pies nuts and apples,

Good children get from the King.

You can guess what the naughty get,

The rods are the only thing.

"Oh dear mamma," cries Jenny,

"Johnny's been good, and so have I!

Pray tell Jack Frost we don't want the rod,

Oh! do ask him to put it by."

Mamma smiles on her darlings,

They run to her, kiss her, and say:

"How long do you think will it be, Mamma,

Ere King Winter goes away?"

"He will lay upon Baby's cradle

The snowdrops that early come forth;

And then, my dears, he will bid us good bye

And go back to his home in the North."

Anon

Questions and Answers

Why didn’t you record the conversation with Santa and take some photos?

I did try but Santa’s voice records as silence and his image simply doesn’t appear on photos. When you tell him this he just chuckles…

Did you really meet Santa?

I most certainly did.

How do you know he was Santa?

Oh, you just know. He has an energy and lightness about him that is so definitely Santa that there is no doubt in your mind.

Why did he choose you?

He never said and I never thought to ask. Perhaps it was because I’d been thinking a lot about how wishes do or don’t come true and the meaning of Christmas. I had already made major changes to the way I spend Christmas.

Where does Santa live?

Santa can’t tell me or anyone else his location because it is not somewhere we can understand or visit so he prefers to say “in your imagination”.

How does Santa get presents everywhere at the same time?

Now then the usual answers of magic and stopping time are not quite right. I personally still think it is magic but not in the literal way we present the story to children. Santa represents the Wishing Law and the way presents get all over the world is because children and adults ask for them and believe they will get them. Santa then works his magic and the information reaches people who can make the wishes come true.

The End