Comments on: Confessions of a Shopping Mall Santa

By: Melody of Outside CHristmas Decorations

Melody of Outside CHristmas Decorations — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:12:27 +0000

I loved the story..

By: SunstoneBlog » A Bit of Christmas Cheer

SunstoneBlog » A Bit of Christmas Cheer — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:50:49 +0000

[...] Get a sneak peek at an article in the upcoming Sunstone. ———— Share this! [...]

By: Jonovitch

Jonovitch — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:53:23 +0000

A former boss of mine said that the first time one of his boys asked if Santa was real, he took him aside and told him very plainly that, no, Santa is not real, but he’s a lot of fun, so we pretend and have fun so that others will, too. But who is real is Jesus Christ, and he is the real point of Christmas.

His point was to make sure that he’s not lying to his kids about one thing (Santa) so that they will more readily believe him when he teaches them about the other (Christ). I thought it was a brilliant strategy, and I’ll be doing the same thing with my kids (along with the “now you’re Santa, too” thing).

Jon

By: Kevin Barney

Kevin Barney — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:48:12 +0000

Loved the story!

I always wanted to play Santa, but I was too tall and skinny to pull it off effectively.

By: Kathryn Lynard Soper

Kathryn Lynard Soper — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:04:44 +0000

Rory, you’re a great writer.

By: Coffinberry

Coffinberry — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:41:49 +0000

To deal with these dilemmas, my husband and I instituted a welcoming ritual: when you realize that Santa is essentially mom-and-dad, you are inaugurated into the Secret-of-Santa. Here is the secret: “Now that you are old enough and wise enough, you get to be Santa, too!”

That is why the first presents under the tree this year are the ones from the 10-year-old. She has saved all year so she can share. And so she can participate in buying a present for others from the giving-tree at the store.

And mom-and-dad still fill the stockings with goodies for Christmas morning. It’s about the joy of giving.

By: Rick Grunder

Rick Grunder — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:01:40 +0000

Wonderful! Thank you for this post.

And, I want to go back to that age – or at least its condition – when one needed a prosthetic belly . . .

By: Sybil

Sybil — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:23:25 +0000

Being the eldest girl of nine children, I was often the one who wrapped all the presents. Even my own, some years. My mother was so preoccupied with making Christmas happen that I don’t think she or my father ever considered how lackluster Christmas can be if you, one of the children, know what is in all of the different packages under the tree.