“People say his magic sleigh flies in the skies above,
But you might find him anywhere you find unselfish love.”
– from “Yes, There is a Santa Claus,” from The Stingiest Man in Town

Have I mentioned how much I love A Christmas Carol? 😉

Many were the times, as a child, when I watched this animated musical version of the story. I remember when I was wondering about the existence of Santa Claus, this line really spoke to me. I mean, if he simply existed, in the conventional fashion, there wouldn’t be much of a debate about it, would there? But he were something more than just a person in a sleigh, like, say, the Spirit of Giving, then that would explain everything, including why some people did not believe in him.

But more than just providing an answer to the debate, this song showed me something else. It centered on something about people, something good. It sang about giving, about love, about unselfishness. As a child, of course, what you most want to be is “good,” and this was a kind of good I found myself wanting to be. It really helped shape a huge part of my outlook on life. I can’t say I was always successful, and certainly haven’t always been as an adult, but this song made me want to try and be better. It made me want to be unselfish. It made me want to know the joy of giving.

And it is a joy, when you give someone a gift they love, and their face lights up, and they use it until it’s all worn out. 🙂 Which, of course, lead me into thinking about what to give the people I love. Which evolved into giving them something they would want, even if it wasn’t necessarily something that I would personally like.

I learned, basically, that when I gave someone a gift, it wasn’t about me. It was about them.

Not to make it sound as if I didn’t enjoy receiving, of course. 😉

But that became more balanced, as I grew up, with the delight of giving.

And that’s what Christmas is all about, isn’t it? The best part of humanity.

Giving.

The real first Spirit of Christmas. 🙂

So, in this festive season, I hope you know both of the great joys: getting very good presents that you really want, and giving very very good presents that are properly appreciated. 😀

Merry Christmas!