We were sitting at the kitchen table, and I was slowly spinning a globe pointing out how most of earth is covered with water. I was talking to Luke, my eight-year-old son, about Santa Claus. “Look at these vast oceans, deserts, forests, and jungles, where no one lives.”
I pointed out the frozen Artic and Antarctica. “No one lives there either, it’s too cold. When you look at the globe from Santa’s vantage-point, he doesn’t really have that many places to deliver presents.”
Luke was an inquisitive and intelligent kid, so I had to explain more. “Santa has been doing this for a long time, he knows how to travel with the spin of the earth to take full advantage of the timelines. What seems like only one night to us is actually much longer for him. And finally, when you take a closer look at how straight our streets are and how close houses are to each other, it gets pretty easy to see how he does it.”
Eight is about the age that children lose their sense of wonder. They start needing proof and stop pretending. They rush to grow up and want to be heard and feel relevant. They test the waters and question everything.
Luke persisted, “Why do I see so many Santas at the mall? And be honest Dad, do you still believe in Santa?”
Santa is an entity that is hard to explain. When we are young, it is easiest to describe Santa as a physical person who flies a magical sled and spreads joy all over the world. It is always easier to understand something if we can see it.
But we believe in plenty of things that we can’t see, like the air that we breathe. If you think about it, it’s just as easy to believe in things that we trust to be true and that we feel is real, deep inside.
The many Santas that we see at the mall, on street corners, and in parades are a symbol of all that is good in the world. The Santa from the North Pole that we all speak about represents generosity and love. The many men and women who dare to wear the red represent a reminder to the rest of us to smile and dig down deep within ourselves to find a joy to share with the world. We will always have plenty of reasons to be negative, they give us hope.
“So, do I believe in Santa? Yes, definitely.”
I believe that there is so much good in this world. I believe that many people want to share that message. I believe that people need to be reminded to love and help each other. I believe in the power of generosity and gratefulness. I believe that we all live charmed lives and we need to share our gifts, talents, and abilities with others. We need to lift those that are down and applaud those that conquer adversity.
And at least one night a year, we need to become a kid again, look out the window into the sky, and just be amazed at the wonder.
As seen in Stroll, Hawthorn Woods CC Magazine. Follow “Bacon Bits with Master Happiness” on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, Amazon Music, Audible, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
As a proud protégé of #SantaClaus, Marty Jalove of Master Happiness is a Corporate Coach,
Business Consultant, and Marketing Strategist that helps small businesses, teams, and individuals find focus, feel fulfilled, and have fun. Master Happiness stresses the importance of realistic goal setting, empowerment, and accountability in order to encourage employee and customer engagement and retention.
The secret is simple: Happy Employees attract Happy Customers and Happy Customers come back with Friends.
Learn more about Mall Santas and self-discovery at Master Happiness:
#SalesCoach #PublicSpeaking #Keynote #Career #EmployeeRetention #Relationships #MasterHappiness #Jalove #Bacon #MartyJalove #WhatsYourBACON #companyculture #employeeengagement #leadership #humanresources #workculture #business #employeeexperience #workplaceculture #teambuilding #culture #employeeappreciation #team #company #teamwork #employeewellness #officeculture #management #workplace #employeebenefits #officelife #smallbusiness #companyculturematters #corporateculture #employee #companyvalues #employeewellbeing #employeeretention #employees #humanresourcesmanagement