He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot just
as the poem described him, but he was not the "jolly old elf"
of Christmas legend. The man who stood before me looked
sad and disappointed. And there were tears in his eyes.

"Santa, what's wrong?" I asked, "Why are you crying?"
"It's the children," Santa replied sadly.
"But Santa, the children love you," I said.
"Oh, I know they love me, and they love the gifts
I bring them," Santa said, "but the children of
today seem to have somehow missed out on the true
spirit of Christmas. It's not their fault. It's
just that the adults, many of them not having been
taught themselves, have forgotten to teach the children."

"Teach them what?" I asked.
Santa's kind old face became soft, more gentle.
His eyes began to shine with something more than tears.
He spoke softly."Teach the children the true
meaning of Christmas. Teach them that the part of
Christmas we can see, hear, and touch is much more
than meets the eye. Teach them the symbolism
behind the customs and traditions of Christmas
which we now observe. Teach them what it is they
truly represent." Santa reached into his bag and
pulled out a tiny Christmas tree and set it on my mantle.

"Teach them about the Christmas tree. Green is the
second color of Christmas. The stately evergreen,
with its unchanging color, represents the hope
of eternal life in Jesus. Its needles point
heavenward as a reminder that mankind's thoughts
should turn heavenward as well."

Santa reached into his bag again and pulled out a
shiny star and placed it at the top of the small tree.
"The star was the heavenly sign of promise.
God promised a Savior for the world and the star
was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise
on the night that Jesus Christ was born. Teach
the children that God always fulfills His promises,
and that wise men still seek Him."

"Red," said Santa, "is the first color of Christmas."
"He pulled forth a red ornament for the tiny tree.
Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is the color of the
life-giving blood that flows through our veins. It
is the symbol of God's greatest gift. Teach the
children that Christ gave his life and shed his
blood for them that they might have eternal life.
When they see the color red, it should remind them
of that most wonderful gift."

Santa found a silver bell in his pack and placed it
on the tree. "Just as lost sheep are guided to
safety by the sound of the bell, it continues to
ring today for all to be guided to the fold
Teach the children to follow the true Shepherd,
who gave His life for the sheep."

Santa placed a candle on the mantle and lit it.
The soft glow from its one tiny flame brightened
the room. "The glow of the candle represents how
people can show their thanks for the gift of
God's son that Christmas Eve long ago. Teach the
children to follow in Christ's footsteps...to go
about doing good.

Teach them to let their light shine before people
that all may see it and glorify God. This is what's
symbolized when the twinkle lights shine on the tree
like hundreds of bright shining lights, each of them
representing one of God's precious children's light
shining for all to see."

Again Santa reached into his bag and this time he
brought forth a tiny red and white striped cane.
As he hung it on the tree he spoke softly.
"The candy cane is a stick of hard white candy.
White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless
nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock,
the foundation of the church, and the firmness
of God's promises. The candy cane form's a
"J" to represent the precious name of Jesus,
who came to earth. It also represents the Good
Shepherd's crook, which He uses to reach down
into all ditches of the world to lift out the fallen
lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.
The original candy cane had three small red stripes,
which are the stripes of the scourging Jesus received
by which we are healed, and a large red stripe that
represents the shed blood of Jesus, so that we can
have the promise of eternal life.

Teach these things to the children."
Santa brought out a beautiful wreath made of fresh,
fragrant greenery tied with a bright red bow.
"The bow reminds us of the bond of perfection,
which is love. The wreath embodies all the good
things about Christmas for those with eyes to
see and hearts to understand. It contains the colors
of red and green and the heaven-turned needles
of the evergreen. The bow tells the story of good
will towards all and its color reminds us of Christ's
sacrifice. Even its very shape is symbolic, representing
eternity and the eternal nature of Christ's love.
It is a circle, without beginning and without end.
These are the things you must teach the children."

I asked, "But where does that leave you Santa?"

The tears gone now from his eyes, a smile broke over
Santa's face. "Why bless you, my dear," he laughed,
"I'm only a symbol myself. I represent the spirit
of family fun and the joy of giving and receiving.
If the children are taught these other things,
there is no danger that I'll ever be forgotten."

"I think I'm beginning to understand."

"That's why I came," said Santa. "You're an adult.
If you don't teach the children these things,
then who will?"

Author Unknown