(Spoiler: Santa’s Real)
By Rebecca Whitecotton
When I found out the truth about Santa, I was so angry I called my mom a liar.
Sure, my mom and I laugh now, but it was an emotional scar that I carried into motherhood.
When my husband and I had kids, and it came time to BE Santa, I had to get the story straight in my own mind so that I could be Santa with integrity and not feel like I was lying. There were a lot of issues that came up for me, but one of the main ones was this:
If Santa’s not real, then why should I believe anything you say about Jesus? After all, they are both these larger-than-life figures who do miraculous things, and if one of them is made up, it’s logical to assume they both are.
I needed to address this problem for myself, as well as for my kids. I wrote Santa’s Greatest Gift: The Truth About Santa Wrapped in the Spiritual Meaning of Christmas in 2001 before my kids could question anything. I wanted to be prepared, so they wouldn’t call me a liar. The result is this letter from Santa explaining everything, wrapped in a short ebook (or a printable book you can put in a stocking).
First of all, of course Santa is real. As we get older, we find out that reality doesn’t exactly mesh with all the stories about a lot of things, including reindeer and elves. But that doesn’t mean Santa’s not real.
Santa writes, “It’s true that I am not only one person who lives at the North Pole. I know you thought that was pretty amazing, but the truth is really better than that. I am one Spirit — the Giving Spirit — who lives in everyone who chooses to be Santa Claus for someone they love.”
I really do think that the truth is better than the fantasy. There’s not just one Santa. They are everywhere. Isn’t it more amazing that there’s not just one good guy, but that everyone has that generosity in them?
And what about Jesus?
Now that we know the truth about Santa, that brings us to Jesus, who in most traditional Christian churches is seen as the only son of God. I have great respect for that traditional interpretation, but I see things a little differently. While it’s true that there is only one Jesus, I believe that each of us has the same Christ Spirit in us and we can strive to live from that Christ Spirit just as Jesus so masterfully did.
For many people this idea may sound blasphemous, but this belief is not unusual. The idea of the Christ within is a central teaching of New Thought spiritual communities, such as Unity churches. In fact, the mission statement for Unity of Fairfax, my home church, says that “We are a vibrant spiritual community awakening each life to the Christ within.”
It turns out that Santa has the same mission! It turns out that Santa wants us to know that just as he is the perfect expression of the Giving Spirit, Jesus is the perfect expression of the Christ Spirit that is within us all.
Listen as Santa reveals his greatest gift:
“My gift to you this year is the knowledge that you have that Christ Spirit within you. This is who you really are. You are not Jesus, but you have your own shining light of Christ, which can be every bit as powerful.
If you look inside yourself, and inside every person you meet, you will find that Christ Spirit. It shines in you when your heart is full of love and peace and forgiveness. This Spirit is part of the same Christ Spirit that was in Jesus. The only difference is that Jesus lived every moment of his life connected to that Spirit, and we often forget who we really are. Jesus was so in touch with the Christ Spirit inside himself that every thought and action started there. We, on the other hand, sometimes only get glimpses of our Christ Spirit because we are distracted with other things or too busy thinking about our daily activities. But the Spirit inside you is part of the same Spirit that was inside Jesus, and your potential is the same as well.”
Santa is like one of the wise men who honored Jesus and now comes to give gifts to honor the Christ spirit in each of us.
The moment we were born, our own personal Santa recognized the Christ spirit in us, and that is why he or she brings us presents on Christmas. That is why the knowledge of our authentic spirit is the greatest gift Santa can give.
So I’ll wrap this up with Santa’s words in Santa’s Greatest Gift, which sums up how I reconciled Santa and Jesus and was able to BE Santa with integrity.
“When you first found out about me, with my flying reindeer and ability to bring toys to every child in the world, you were in awe. You were amazed more at the whole idea of a man in a red suit bringing you toys than you were with the toys themselves. You were surprised that a perfect stranger could know exactly what you wanted and bring it to you down the chimney.
But as the years wore on, you began to associate me more with toys and not as much with wonder and magic. That’s why it is time that you know the greater truth about me, and about yourself. That is why it is now time for you to BE Santa Claus, to be the Giving Spirit. You can choose to be Santa Claus on Christmas, for your parents or for someone you know that needs something you can offer. Or, you can show your Giving Spirit every day in many different ways: by giving someone a smile, carrying groceries for your mom, holding open a door, helping someone with no expectation of reward, or simply telling someone how much you love them. It is through these daily acts of giving that the Christ Spirit within you begins to shine, and your life will be forever richer.
Of all the gifts I have ever given, this special knowledge is my favorite because it holds such great potential. People all over the world have recognized within themselves the Giving Spirit, and they show it through their acts as Santa Claus. Just imagine what will happen when those same people also recognize their own Christ Spirit and live from that as well. It is then that we will find heaven on earth.”
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Santa’s Greatest Gift is available in updated form as an ebook on Amazon, and you can learn about previous formats here.
Rebecca Whitecotton is the author of Child of Mine, Know This, hailed by Neale Donald Walsch as “the single most imaginative children’s book to come along in ages.” Her spiritual memoir, Pull Your Self Together: A True Story of Alternate Realities, Spiritual Healing, and Dimensional Wholeness will be released in January 2021.
© copyright Rebecca Whitecotton, 2020
Photo by Inarik on Bigstock Photo.