THE SPIRIT OF SANTA

I feel that the writer of The Santa Claus question (Dec. 29) has lost the magic of the season. There is a true Spirit of Santa in this world. When my children would ask me if there really was a Santa Claus, I always said that there most certainly is the Spirit of Santa. The Spirit of Santa or St. Nicholas, who was a real person, is the spirit of giving and goodwill. There is magic in this life if we just take the time to look for it. As for the unfairness of what some children get compared to others: This is more a problem for the parents than the children. Parents can make sure they, with their children talk about what they are going to give those less fortunate this Christmas. As a family they can come up with a plan and work on it together. For example, maybe make cookies together for a soup kitchen or drop off items. Or start a St. Stephen box on Dec. 1 and collect change in it from family all month, until Boxing Day, then donate it to charity. The most important gift a parent can give their children is the gift of their presence. Games night, hike in the woods, reading together or visiting Grammy and Grammy. I think all these things are the magic of the season and children already know this.

As a child, I had a very simple Christmas. We four kids each received a few special things. Our friends may have received much more but we never felt like we were missing out. We were surrounded by love and good food, tradition and family. That’s all we needed. It was always a special time. My parents made it special for us.

So in the spirit of Saint Nicholas, may everyone have a bright and magical Christmas whatever form that takes and know there are people who care about you and are here for you, because we are part of a great Island community.

Harriet Gallant, Stratford