How I Discovered Santa IS Real!

Nature Santa

Once upon a time, long ago, (1994), I experienced some things in first marriage that led to a rather large and beneficial fork in the pathway of my life though I didn't know it at the time. I had believed in my little family and all its members, loving them with all my heart, all my tasks, work, play, joys, and sorrows. I was all in.

But the marriage went belly up.

OUCH!

So I set about the motions of divorce just before the holiday season. Goodness, what a list of things to do! Find a house that would be okay for me and for my children, find a job that would support us, figure out what to take with me (typewriter and computer and medical records and some music CDs and a couple of 13" TVs, my books and pictures on the walls, a couch, my car, but not much else). I lost so very much. But I gained so very much, and that was not expected, but I guess Fate had a hand in it, and Destiny too. And that's where the magic begins.

I started out with $5,000 dollars, no job, and very little else except for my very nice pair of brass balls and a lot of gumption and found a lovely little blue house to rent that was built on the side of a mountain. Evergreen is all mountains and very beautiful, all pine trees, oh so lovely! My kids shared a room. I inhabited a room that was about 8 x 10 feet with a window that of course, had a gorgeous view of the mountains and pines. I put my twin bed in there, bought bunk beds for the kids, and we shared the one closet and one bathroom. It was our safe place. PEACE.

No chaos, just spaghetti and puzzles and finger paints and hikes all over God's territory in those mountainous parks and it was magic when my kids were with me. The little blue house had a small sun room with floor to ceiling windows on three sides and we LOVED that room! Because in Colorado you get a LOT of sun, though it's not warm most of the time, it's bright and beautiful. So we mostly lived there together with the kids going to their father's weekends and some afternoons or evenings when I was working.

It started getting close to Christmas, and when I went to pick them up from after school daycare one day, their caretaker asked me if I was "ready for Christmas." Hm. I told her the truth. We had had to "clear" who could pick up the kids at daycare after school so the caretakers knew the situation, and I just mentioned that it would be an interesting Christmas because I couldn't afford a tree or presents this year. 

Santa IS real!  Read on....

Well, here comes the magic. Around Christmas Eve it was cold and we did have some ice and stormy weather. I had my children for the weekend. We were together for two whole days without work and that was all I cared about mostly, being able to spend time with them. That evening, our doorbell rang. I went to open it and found, to my surprise, my wonderful daycare worker with her strong burly boyfriend standing outside my door with a Christmas tree! WOOT! WOW! They had driven something like an hour through stormy weather to bring this tree to us in the back of his lovely truck!! They brought it in and explained to me that some people they knew were traveling so had done their Christmas early and put their tree on the curb and it was still quite fine, so they brought it to us! WOW! 

They left to get home before the storm got any worse, and I hunkered down with my kids. The fragrance of the tree was fine indeed. I didn't have any decorations, but we did have popcorn and we did have cranberries, so I sat with my kids on the couch and we made popcorn strings and cranberry strings, a silver foil star for the top, and some paper circle chains. It was lovely!

After they went to bed, I was near to panic about not having any presents for them that first year, but I remembered the stories my grandparents had told me about celebrating during the Great Depression and the war times. During those times they received, if they were verrrry lucky, which they were, oranges and nuts in their stockings and THAT was Christmas. So I went into my kitchen and collected the two oranges I had, and some peanuts and put them into my children's stockings, which I had brought with me from the other home. 

I didn't have enough to put into my stocking. 

So Christmas morning, when we woke up, I had my kids next to me, one on each side of me on the couch. I gave them their stockings and told them the story of my grandparents. My son, so young, said to me, "But Mom, you don't have anything in your stocking!" And he started giving me some of his nuts and orange. Oh my heart melted. Wow. (He's still that way, very insightful and giving.)

Santa appears in many forms!

So here's the discovery: I learned a BIG lesson during that time. The SPIRIT of CHRISTMAS and SANTA CLAUS works THROUGH PEOPLE. Just like God. YES, it's VERY REAL INDEED!!!! For us, that year, the spirit of Santa came through the kindness of the daycare worker and her wonderful boyfriend, as well as my son's kindness and generosity. I realized that WE are the channels for this gorgeous expression of giving. 

You can be any kind of Santa you want. 

The older I get, the more joy I feel from contributing to those in need and those who truly appreciate what I can share and provide for and with them. 

Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus, and though we might not see him, we can feel his spirit oh so strong and WE can give it wings.

Santa based on an old chocolate mold. Mmmmmm!

We don't have to wear the suit; we don't have to spend a fortune, it's the little things that count the most and sometimes that's being with the people we love and sharing the simple things, as well as telling the stories, the stories of our lives and loves and learnings.

Namaste. Many blessings and happy holidays to one and all XO

~Jen