Guest Post: The Year I Learned There Really Is A Santa
Guest Post By J.Sewell Perkins
Success Coaches Institute
My daughter never missed an opportunity to take her well-prepared list to the mall and monopolize Santa until he knew everything on that list. It so happened that the Santa at the mall was the same Santa I hired each year for the holiday open house at my main store. The point is that my daughter’s entire interaction with Santa over her seven years of life had been with the same Santa.
In the season of her eighth Christmas she was exposed to the alleged wisdom of a friend’s teenage sister who, for whatever insane reason, didn’t believe Santa is real. She shared her beliefs with the two younger girls and planted seeds of doubt in their believing minds. They wanted to believe but armed with this new information decided to find out for themselves and devised a plan to do just that.
They visited the jolly ole elf and sat on his lap together with the idea that one of them would distract him with her list while the other would slip her little hand inside his coat to see if there was a pillow. The pillow would of course debunk the myth of Santa. Guess what? There was no pillow.
I shared the story with Santa, or Buck as he is known in the off-season, and we devised our own plan. My daughter and I had dinner in a little restaurant at the mall and as dinner ended and I was paying the check, she asked to go see Santa. Off she went and by the time I got there she was reading off her endless list. Buck looked at me and winked.
My daughter came tearing down the platform hollering “I think he is real; he knows my whole name.” To say she was excited would be a gross understatement. Her friend’s teenage sister continued to insist that Santa was just a fat guy in a red suit and my daughter once again began to doubt. The plan Buck and I had devised was not yet completed, however.
On Christmas eve just as my daughter was on her way to her room to begin getting ready for bed…what was that? No doubt about it; that was the sound of sleigh bells. Next we heard a hearty Ho Ho Ho and when we opened the door there stood Santa with his big, black bag full of the things on my daughter’s list and under one arm was the huge, handmade rocking horse she had requested. Santa followed us into the living room and began placing the gifts under the tree. The shocked look on my daughter’s face was representative of the state she was in. Once the presents were placed and Santa was turning to leave, my daughter reached up and took his hand as she said, “Santa, some of my friends don’t believe in you but I BELIEVE.” They hugged and he waved as he made his exit.
Yes, that was the night that I learned that Santa is real. You see, I later found out that his mother had what was believed at the time to be a massive heart attack and she had been rushed to the hospital earlier that day. He spent time with his mother but believing she was in good hands, although he was still quite concerned, he left the hospital, donned his Santa suit, applied his makeup and headed to our house. He later told me there was no way he was going to disappoint a child on Christmas Eve. More important than the gifts Santa brought that evening was the thrill for my daughter of knowing once and for all that Santa is real.
Buck, at first sight appears to be just a regular guy who works in construction during the warmer months, but he is actually one of the many Santas that walk among us every day. No, they don’t all wear red velvet suits but they are the people who give of themselves, serve where needed and spread joy wherever they can. We find them in all walks of life.
There’s no doubt about it; my Christmas gift that year was the revelation that there really is a Santa…in fact, many of them and they walk among us throughout the year unnoticed. In fact there were several of them at the hospital with Buck’s mom that Christmas eve and she lived to learn what I learned that evening… Santa is definitely real.
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As a Life and Business Development Coach for nearly two decades J.S. (as she is called) works with national and international corporations, corporate leaders and small business owners. Additionally she coaches many individuals who are seeking to change their lives for the better and realize their maximum potential.
At one point in her career she was recruited by the president of the Robbins Companies for their coaching team. On the team for only a short while she was asked to assume the position of head coach which she accepted and assumed the responsibility of coaching the coaches. Not too long after that she was chosen to coach on Tony’s hand-picked Elite Coaching Team.
Now, back in private practice, she continues to pursue her life mission which is, in her own words, “To make each life I touch better in some way for my having touched it.”
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[Note from the Proprietor: This here post is J.S.' entry in this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project. If you'd care to join the fun, well Bubba, we'd love to have ya! Don't worry; there's still plenty of time. All you have to do is click on that cute little link there and read all about it.]
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42 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
J.S., What an inspiring story. It’s a pity that magic and the spirit of Christmas have dissolved from the lives of so many people. Your Santa is a perfect example of how magic is sometimes very real indeed.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Interview with Novelist Lillie Ammann
Best. Story. Ever.
Billy Coffeys last blog post..Santa Story
Wow,
Absolutely the best Christmas story I’ve heard in years.
Nothing I can add other than thanks so much for sharing this.
George
Tumblemooses last blog post..Write, write, rewrite
Hi J.S. and welcome to the Zone. Thanks for sharing such a nice Christmas story, and reminding us that there are santas everywhere… if we know how to look.
J.Sewell Perkins is both by life and business development coach and I can tell you that this article is like everything else she does…right from her heart.
Judi
J.S.,
Having young girls, that story completely touched my heart. I, too, believe Santa is real and that he lives within each one of us. I also believe that the Christmas Spirit within us should be alive and practiced daily…not just in December.
Fabulous article and one I’m definitely sharing!
Tracey
I have shared this article already and just loved it. All of us with children can relate and view the passage into “big kids” with sadness, and the wish to keep them from doubt and disillusionment…as we grow older we then wish again to view life, and Santa, through the eyes and heart of a child. Beautiful story.
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J.S.
Thank you for sharing! Some of us “big people” have a difficult time believing sometimes as well. Your gift to your daughter and Santa’s gift to you both is a lesson to us all how we can play Santa in our everyday lives. Looking beyond our own needs is not often easy to do…but the outcome can be gifts that last a lifetime.
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Kelly
That was such a touching story—written so well I could visualize it all in my head–it is good for the heart to read such nice stories especially at this time of the year—and JS you raised a wonderful daughter and i am sure that she will always BELIEVE in her heart that there is a Santa and carry on that tradition.
Loved the story, and I can really relate. I knew a real life Santa myself, she was my mom.
She touched everyone’s life that she ever met, sadly she is gone now, yet a piece of her remains in everyone she ever knew. Thanks for reminding me of that.
Cynthia
There is something in Santa that makes me want to believe in him. But every one I know says he does not exist. He is just a fantasy.
I am really glad I came across this article. It has touched me. Thanks J.S. Thanks for sharing the story. Now I know Santa is for real. He is in Buck and many others like him. I wish to be a Santa too….
Thanks again.
Amit
Amits last blog post..amitdugar: @TheSCICoach I am doing good
That is a very nice and touching story. I hadn’t ever really looked at it in that manner, but I think you are right. There are a lot of unnoticed Santas walking around all throughout the year.
Johns last blog post..Vitamin K Might Slow Insulin Resistance Among Senior Males
This is a truly beautiful article. It reinforces the idea of the magic of Santa and childhood days. It further allows all of us the opportunity to take a look at Santa from a different perspective and once again enjoy the wonder and magic of our childhood dreams.
Rowena
This is a very heart-warming story, and the idea of the spirit of Santa is a good one.
However, I have to wonder if your daughter still believes in a literal Santa — and if not, how did she handle the transition?
Sterling Camdens last blog post..Chipping the web: December 2nd
This is a lovely story. What a wonderful thing for a parent to do to keep the magic of Christmas alive for her little girl. And in turn it touched you too.
What a wonderful story – proving real life is better than any fantasy we can make up about men in red suits, egg-hiding rabbits, or bedroom-invading fairies. The Christmas spirit has always been, and hopefully will always be, to serve.
Thank you J.S., for sharing.
As long as there are people like that in the world, there will always be a Santa Claus!
dcrs last blog post..Are You Putting Obstacles in the Way of Your Own Success?
To answer Sterling Camden’s question, as my daughter grew up she came to believe in Santa in much the same way I came to believe on that Christmas eve.
Wow, what a heart warming story, I wish all parents would this for their kids.
What a wonderful story! I will share this one- as we all try to remember the true meaning of Christmas, despite what the retailers tell us! Thanks for sharing.
What a lovely post, J.Swell. Robert, it’s a wise decision to let J became the guest blogger
A very good article. Yes, Santa is indeed real for he exists within each and everyone one of us. Those who do not experience the reality of Santa are those who have yet to discover the joy that comes from giving and sharing with others.
My only regret is that Santa is not everywhere and does not encompass the entire world. Santa goes hand in hand with what or whom we call God and is every bit as important. One cannot be happy nor have inner peace without knowing that both are indeed real.
Heartwarming! Whether you believe in Santa Claus or not… bringing happiness into the life of a child is a wonderful thing to do, either as a parent or as someone dressed up like a Santa.
All the “giving” at Christmas obviously does not have to be of “things.” This wonderful story gives great examples of how the giving can come from the heart and from people who simply give of and from themselves.
We all need reminders of this as the advertisers care only about how much we SPEND… Instead, we need to get back to caring about each other and this story is a great reminder.
To the author… please continue blessing us with more great stories like this!
Happy Holidays,
David Lee
Very nice, wonderful story.
I am an Army brat so to say we moved around a lot is an understatement! I was born and raised in Germany where the spirit of Saint Nicholas has the deepest of roots, and although we always left all of our shoes outside like all of the children in the neighborhood, hoping for them to be filled with holiday candy when he passed on Christmas Eve, as a Catholic family of Puerto Rican descent, the idea that a white-bearded man wearing a big red suit leaving presents under a pine tree (ummm… what’s a PINE TREE?! PALM TREES – THAT we know), and then climb back up the chimney (chimney?? – you mean leave through the screen door right?) was a little far-fetched!
What’s known as the Epiphany – January 6th – is culturally our big gift-giving celebration – THREE KINGS DAY! Instead of milk and cookies for Santa, we leave boxes of grass and bowls of water next to our beds for the Wise Men’s camels to drink from their long voyages! Instead of Christmas trees, our gifts were found under the bed, usually unwrapped in the spirit of simplicity… We got our holiday gifts when it was said that Jesus received his. And yet our parent’s still created magic for us as they urged the boys in my grandmother’s farming neighborhood to ride their horses up and down the street leaving SURE proof along the roads that the Three Kings HAD indeed come to visit us!
As I grew older and started to question whether or not Saint Nicholas and the Three Kings existed to shower us with gifts during the holidays, my parents never backed down from the true meaning of Christmas; the birth of Jesus Christ, the spirit of giving and supporting those less fortunate, and celebrating TRADITIONS.
My mother made sure when we were in grade school that we volunteered with local charities the week of Christmas and that we bought presents for OTHER children and that we personally delivered them.
In her determination to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in us as we continue to celebrate in all of the holiday traditions of the places we’ve lived, I’ve learned that like the incredible story J.S. has shared with us, that everyone can be Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, and the Wise Men if we all just have a little faith and BELIEVE!
siempre – dorana
Doranas last blog post..Sibling UNRivalry – What’s Your Favorite Sibling Story?
I spoke with JS a couple of weeks ago; though brief our conversation still resonates in my mind till this day.
This is a wonderful post which talks – indirectly – about the ordinary ‘Santa’s in life; those we do not recognize or whose good deeds are not acknowledged.
‘Santa’ is real; he is real in the life of any person who commits to do good on their journey here.
We are all ‘Santa! We all came to be Santa! We only have to awaken to the reality that we are Santa in disguise and that our mission here is to do good.
Good post.
Not only are there real Santas, apparently there are real elves who conspire with them!
Every child needs an adult who has the sense of fun that J.S. created for her daughter.
Our energy and attention is the most priceless gift we can give others. Thanks JS for passing along this insight in such an entertaining way.
Wonderful Christmas story. We all need to be reminded that there are Santa’s and heroes every day–not just on Christmas. Thank goodness we have Christmas one time a year to bring a cumulative peace to our minds.
This is indeed a lovely story, and I can’t believe I cried reading it. Twice!
And thanks for showing us that Santa is real and among us.
Dorana, presented the true story of st. nick above, Nice story
To Keith Cash
I thank you for your comments. I would, however, like to point out to you that the “True Story of St. Nick,” just as all other truths, is in the mind of the beholder.
We say much about ourselves when we present with such a great need to smash the truth of another. I will go on believing in Santa and all he represents. At the same time I respect your need not to.
In closing, I just want to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a Merry Christmas if that is something in which you do believe.
J.Sewell Perkins
The SCI Coach
Success Coaches Institute
I’m glad I dropped by to read this… Thanks for this heart-warming tale.
What a lovely Christmas story. It’s important, particularly at this time of year, that recognize how Santa lives on in giving and caring people. Whether Santa is or ever was real as an elf in a red suit is completely beside the point. What’s really important in this beautiful story that has been shared with us is that goodness still lives in the hearts of those who will allow it in.
Thanks to the writer for sharing this beautiful story with us. It has warmed my heart,
Christi
It is nice to have something to believe in. It helps us when we are feeling down, that there is someone or something we can focus on to bring us out of depression.
I think when we reach adulthood we are too quick to let go of our childhood beliefs.
When we are that age we believe in everything which is a good thing, there were no barriers in our thinking, nothing that we couldn’t conquer.
If only as adults we would learn to leave our minds open and not be so cynical. I have been guilty of this for many years.
I’m not going to say that Santa doesn’t exist, he exists if you want him to exist. He can be your beacon of hope.
Yes there are Santa’s all around you everyday of the year, there to give without asking or hoping for anything return.
Richard Arblasters last blog post..Twitter’s “What are you doing?”
This is a wonderful story. I believe Santa(s) walk among us all year round.
What a It is a heartwarming and touching story!
Santa is one of the precious belief of our childhood and how lucky is your daughter to have you AND Buck The Santa Claus….
She will never forget that, and I hope that even when she does have her natural doubts about him she starts to believe in small “miracles”, in kindness, and in her mom, that walked the extra mile to make sure she would have a few more years of Wonder!
To Buck I wish his mother recovered and that he keeps being this Special Santa Claus.
And to you my friend, my wishes of many more magic moments making a difference in lives of so many people.
A special Christmas Hug,
Lisi
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Got to be one of the best Christmas Stories that I have heard for a very long time! Thanks a lot for this post
Your blog is growing on me! 
JS. YOU ARE SANTA CLAUS (to me). You have given me so many unasked-for gifts. Things that I have truly wanted (actually needed) you just offered; You gave me the gift of opening my darn mind to all of the possibilities that this world (and beyond) have to offer and it’s all there waiting for me to just reach out and take it. Your knowledge, your friendship, your ability to just KNOW is amazing to me. Sorry to take so long reading your incredible story, I’ve been busy at my new career that I created for myself and hadn’t the opportunity to read for enjoyment! You Rock Santa! My hand to my heart, your Preakness Princess
Wow. That is all I have to say. Anything more would completely dilute the story and its effect.
Sals last blog post..A Chill In The Air…Sorta
J.S. – It’s rare to find adults who admit there really is a Santa. It saddens me when I hear that some won’t let their children believe in the nonsense of it all. It also saddens me that they don’t have a spot in their heart to believe that there is a part of magic in everyone, if only they will let it happen.
Your story shows that everyone has the opportunity to bring happiness and wonder in others’ lives. You do it so easily and by doing, are teaching others how to do the same.
I am so-ho-ho pleased to have met you. Please know you and your words have touched me daily. I feel I’m a better person because of you.
J, I Liked the story, I’ve run across a few of those silent heroes that walk amongst us. Those that do anonymous acts of kindness are usually people whom we don’t notice on a daily basis. I think another lesson to the story is for each of us to strive to find these qualities in others, so it won’t be a surprise to us.-Thomas