Ditching the Sleigh!

Tweet

Santa ditched his sleigh this year and has apparently magicked a popular model truck to full size just so he can arrive on time at a local garden centre, where he is holding court at weekends until Christmas. When he arrived at his destination, he greeted all the people who had come to see him and then slowly realized that it was more likely the truck they had come to see! Nevertheless, forty-eight little wonders visited him afterwards in his grotto, whispered their secret desires to him and went joyfully away with a fine gift for each one. Not one of them will get a piece of coal, I'm sure, though one or two of the parents might! I always enjoy this time of year. We see an amazing variety of kids of all ages from 4 days old (attending with her 18 month old brother, who clearly wasn't quite certain about having a baby sister yet) to, believe it or not, a 16 or 17 year old Swedish girl who has come every year with her sisters for the last 6 years, just to keep the magic alive! You may not agree with perpetuating the myth of Father Christmas (or Santa Claus, as some people call him) but, for me, it is far more than dressing up and play-acting. Each child is an individual with hopes and fears and heartfelt desires and, for the moment anyway, Father Christmas gives his full attention to them. Later on, perhaps, they will come to understand the special role that fiction plays in the drama of real life.