The chiming of the jingle bells that adorn my hair tie makes it hard to listen for noises in the bushes around me, but the flashlight in my hand assures me that if there are elves out here, I’m going to find them. I check every yard that has an abundance of lights because that’s where the elves like to hide. I had waited the entire year for this one night and all that was going through my head was what I would walk out to on Christmas morning. Did Santa leave me an Easybake Oven like I asked for in my letter to the North Pole? Did the reindeer like the bags of oats and crushed candy canes I put together for them? Back then, Santa and Christmas were everything to me.
When I was nine, I guess my mom figured I knew Santa wasn't real because she let me see her writing “from Santa” on presents that year. Right then I ran through every Christmas in my head and had a sudden realization about
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But now when I think of December, I envision all of the decorations and lights that will consume both the inside and outside of my house. Christmas carols play in my head and I smell the aroma of peppermint hot chocolate, Gingerbread men, and Balsam Fir. I feel the exact same excitement and happiness that I did when I was seven because I believe in Santa. The man I once associated with presents for the good and coal for the naughty represented the joy and anticipation I felt as a child and still does in some way. But now, Santa also stands as a representation of my optimism and ability to look past any obstacles and towards an inevitability bright future. When I lost Santa I was young and naive and did not pay attention to the world around me, but now that I have found him I am able to connect with those around me through holiday spirit. Christmas is not about what others can do for me, it’s about what I can do for others to make their winters as bright as mine. This I
As the reindeer got hooked up to the sleigh the helpful elves shook the bells on the reins, as they shook them everyone made a large uproar of joyful cheers and laughter. The main boy realizes that he is unable to hear the wonderful sounds made by the bells. As the bells are shaken more and more one particular silver bell falls from the harness and rolls right to the boy, he picks it up and shakes it and hears nothing, he repeats to himself “i believe, i believe.” he shakes it once more and finally hears it’s sweet sound. Hearing the bell and seeing Santa Claus, finally diminished his doubts about the magic of the Polar Express, Christmas, and Santa. Just before heading home the boy realizes he had lost the bell given to him by Santa. On Christmas morning his sister found one small box under the tree with the silver bell inside with a note from Santa, reassuring to the boy that his journey was real and in fact not a dream, and reminding him that seeing is believing. Even as an adult the boy could still hear the bells beautiful
In Jay Mock’s blog “Is Santa Claus a Conspiracy?” he contemplates whether Santa Claus has an evil purpose. Mock goes through what happens every year during Christmas time now and how “good feelings are directly connected to consumerism” (Mock p3), how we lie to support the conspiracy (Mock p5) and the different options a child may go through when trying to decide whether Santa Claus is real or not (Mock p7-15).
Most people know the story of Santa. While there are many different versions, the gist of it is the night before Christmas, while children are sleeping, a fat man slips down the chimney to distribute gifts to boys and girls that have been good all year. The story was meant to bring hope and joy to children. It was a tale of giving and of love. However, as time goes on characters change, sometimes for better, and sometimes they take a turn for the worst.
Have you ever heard of Santa Claus? I think all of you know who he is. For me, Santa Claus is a fictional character but he is the inspiring person in my life until now. He was not only influenced my childhood but also influenced cultures whole over the world.
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
Many times in life, we do not realize the importance of something until it is gone and is too late to reclaim. However, in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, we are told the story of a man who, although undeserving, is offered an opportunity to redeem himself, to receive a second chance. This man, Ebenezer Scrooge, is changed forever by the valuable lessons taught by four spirits: those of his deceased partner Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.
During my years in high school, I have learned many valuable lessons. I’m proud of the person I am becoming. Life has not been easy, but thankfully I’m a strong hard worker. I started high school with a high GPA, and never intended for it to drop throughout my years. Within the last three years, I’ve moved around, participated in sports, and got a job.
“He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake!” (Coots and Gillespie). The man is all knowing, benevolent, loving, generous, and kind. He can see people’s every action, and keeps a list of the good and bad that they have done. He rewards if they have done good, and punishes if they have done bad. He lives far away in a mystical, magical, un-chartable place. His name is Santa Claus. Or, is it God? There are undeniable parallels between the two. They are magical, mystical, and beyond the natural world. Santa Claus is very God-like. In fact, children take an approach to Santa that is similar to one they would God.
“Why,” you ask, “position yourself only to be disappointed upon realizing that all you hold as true is in fact false?” I will tell you that I grew up believing in Santa Claus—the jolly, old, fat man who annually descended the chimney with his endless sack of treasures. I will tell you that I still believe that Santa Claus exists, despite being told otherwise by both parent and peer. I will tell you not only that Santa Claus exists, but that he exists in you and your family and your friends and every person who gives a little extra in any way thinkable.
For instance the text states “Every man moves on...but there is no need to grieve. He leaves good things behind.” (MacLeod 305). This statement shows that although he stops believing in Santa Claus and moves on from his childhood years, his memories will always remain with him throughout his adulthood even though he knows that Santa Claus is fable. An example that supports this argument is when the narrator is describing his father's health, “He has “not been well” for over two years...he is most sympathetic of all concerning my extended hopes.” (MacLeod 302) .The main character realizes how ill his father is, he will have to soon replace his role as man of the house which requires him the move on from Santa Claus and become an adult. The last example supporting this argument is “The ones for my younger brothers say from Santa Claus but mine are not among them any more...It is as if I have suddenly moved into another room and heard the door click lastingly behind me.” (Alistair MacLeod 305) This shows that he is now an adult, the gift giving experience with Neil that Christmas. It shows his coming of age through his brother's gesture of letting his stay up at night to see the grownups in the family putting presents under the tree other that a jolly old man in a red
Christmastime was always a magical time of year for me. The beautifully decorated shopping malls, with toys everywhere you looked, always fascinated me. And the houses, with the way their lights would glow upon the glistening snow at night, always seemed to calm me. But decorating the Christmas tree and falling asleep underneath the warm glow of the lights, in awe that Santa Claus would soon be there, was the best part of it all. As a child, these things enchanted me. Sure, the presents were great, but the excitement and mystery of Christmas; I loved most of all. Believing…that’s what it was all about. Believing there really was a Santa and waking up Christmas morning, realizing he’d come, as my sleepy eyes focused on all the fancily wrapped presents before me.
Today it seems as though Christmas has fallen victim to materialism and commercialization. Rather than it being a time of loving and giving, it has become a stressful season of greed. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, it is important for us to recognize the true reason of the season, and celebrate in a fashion that exemplifies that reason.
Do you remember how the holiday felt when you were a child? Everyone, no matter the age or maturity, enjoys the magic of the holidays. We all enjoy the stories and all the festivities that come along with them. The Christmas story has many beneficial attributes -- from generosity to spreading joy to rewards for good behavior ("What should parents tell their kids about Santa?" par. 9). "Fairy-tales and make-believe help children master the transition to the reality of real life" ("What should parents tell their kids about Santa?" par.
At that point in time Christmas had become just another day to people, more so for businessmen who “scheduled regular business meetings on Christmas day” (BBCNews), Christmas had more than begun to lose its meaning and impact to the people of the time. After the book was published Dickens was given credit for laying out the blueprint for how Christmas was to look, according to what BBCNews reported. This blueprint of Christmas being a white scene with an abundance of generosity, and the concept of turning a stone cold soul into a kind one in time for the holidays managed to carry itself into modern movies that are geared towards the Christmas season. One of the two previously stated pieces of the blueprint are seen in most Christmas specials. Whether it be a generous Christmas or a stingy Christmas can be seen in nearly every, if not, all Christmas specials. In addition to that, the story itself has been adapted into numerous different but yet similar seasonal films. So, by Dickens’s book being revived every now and again with a fresh new director producing a movie for it, the spirit of A Christmas Carol continues to live on and influence a new generation of Christmas participants to be kind and generous to others during this time even after the allure of “presents from Santa for being a good little boy or girl” as many parents would tell their
Although Santa has become the main staple of the Christmas season it is important to remember the true reason for the season. Jesus’ birth is what December 25 began as until Saint Nicholas day merged with it. Even though the character that has developed and encountered extremely drastic changes, he has almost always been a giving generous figure in society. “Santa is ‘an invention of the advertising industry’ and ‘a representative of consumer society,’ according to Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken [Boniface of German Catholics], which seeks to restore St. Nicholas to his proper place in the Christmas season” (Sweas).