How this tale came about…
History, as every child knows, is simply everything that happened before that child showed up. Santa Claus is a lot older than children, but Santa is real; he must be—everyone keeps talking about him every year. That’s what children know. Just ask them.
Although we had been parents and grandparents for years, we only began standing in for Santa and Mrs. Claus a dozen years ago. Since we had never liked the “plop them on—plop them off” approach to visiting with Santa, we decided only to work with small groups of children, giving them a chance to sing and talk with both of us before telling Santa their wishes. It made them more comfortable, and it was fun for everyone.
There were several surprises…
Once children became comfortable, it was startling how often their thoughts turned to wanting something for others, not just themselves. Their persistent questions about Santa’s origins and methods were predictable enough, but their genuine concern for the welfare of the North Pole Elves was very touching. Mostly, we were struck by the absolute sense of unconditional faith the very small placed in Santa when they talked, and were listened to, simply and sincerely.
And therein lay the problem…
We really didn’t have enough answers that rang true, for them or for us. Children believe in magic, but the magic must have a logic. Children know that Elves, Angels, and all sorts of other creatures exist, and children have a certain common understanding about how these creatures behave, whether well or badly, that often escapes adults.
And the small ones believe, without reservation, that Santa Claus loves them unconditionally. It is an archtypical belief. And, in fact, most cultures and societies have had an archtypical being, or several of them, who arrived in the midst of winter to herald the coming of spring, bringing hope, and they generally have loved children.
A lot of logical study has availed us little except a new appreciation for archtypical myths. A similar amount of free-form meditation, day-dreaming, and behaving as child-like as a reasonably sane older person can, however, finally led the author to doing something wonderfully silly—sitting down and writing out everything he “knew” about Santa Claus—and to do it all in rhyme. By the time the story had concluded itself, it was over 9,500 words long and in twelve chapters. No chapter is over 10 minutes long, and most can be spoken in just 3 to 7 minutes, which suits young attention spans.
It is a complete story, starting with how and why Santa came to Earth and landed at the North Pole. It reveals why the Elves migrated there, how they live in the snow, how they raised the person who became Santa Claus (or Father Christmas, Pere Noel, etc, etc.). Because, as the first part of the book explains:
“Far off beyond the land of night, farther than the farthest light
that you can see from this green earth, is the land of Santa’s birth.”
“He wasn’t born as Santa Claus, he only got that way because…
Well, if you’ll listen carefully, you’ll know the answer, wait and see.”
Santa is Universal…
Santa has had many names in many lands for hundreds and hundreds of years, but on some points all myths agree: All have a hero or heroes who bring hope in the darkest of winter, and just about all of them are the champions of children. So “Santa’s First Magical Ride” takes us all from how he got here through his education, his purpose, how he got his different names, and right up through how and why he took that first ride. It is a universal tale, because Santa Claus is a universal figure.
Remember: History is just everything that happened before we showed up too.
The Spirit of Christmas lives in us all now, if we let it.