More Tales from the North

Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3

Text Box: When I play the role of Santa, I set some initial guidelines for the role. I attempt to make each visitor feel special, to focus on their needs, and to try and provide an uplifting visit. I joyfully greet each child, and then ask name and age. Beginning about age three they can answer this question with their fingers. Beginning about age four and a half, they can tell you the number. I would then converse about school or friends or family, and ask what they wanted for Christmas. The answers result in many stories. A young boy sat on my knee, and told me that his goal was to grow up and be like Santa. I replied that it was an honor for me to hear that. He asked me what the word ‘honor’ meant, and I told him that it made me happy and proud. The next day, I was watching the old animation ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’, the one where the elf wants to be a dentist, and they meet the Abominable Snowman. Near the end, Santa asks Rudolph to guide his sleigh, and Rudolph replies ‘Santa, it would be an honor’. If the universe works well (and we know it does), then that young boy was watching the same show and made the connection - That was the word that Santa said to me. A few moments with Santa can be enough to ignite the light within each child. I offer them hope and self-confidence, and make them feel special. I asked one young boy if he had been good this year, and his mother told me that he had been hitting other children at school. I said that ‘it is not nice to hit people, but what really matters is that you have such a big heart inside’. The boy’s posture changed from sag to self-confident as he pronounced ‘YES’. He had most likely been hearing a lot about not hitting other children, and required a boost of self-worth. In a similar situation, a brother and sister sat on my knees, and I twisted the usual Santa question. Instead of asking the girl if she had been good this year, I asked if her brother had been nice to her. She replied ‘No, he hits me all the time’. I turned to the brother, whose jaw had dropped open, and said that maybe he shouldn’t get any presents this year. For a brief moment, the consequences of his actions had meaning. We then agreed as a group that their next argument would be settled with the words ‘Santa says Be Nice’. As each child approached, I could tell by their body language how they felt about the visit. Some children would approach with wide eyes and open arms, eager to be with their hero. Other children would begin to grasp their parent, afraid of the experience. Many parents ignored their child’s fear, and would try to put them on my knee. Often these children would be holding on tightly as their parent pushed them away, resulting in tears and crying. Sometimes, the child struggled so much that a picture was impossible unless the child was being held in the parent’s lap next to me. More than once this occurred with a pregnant mother, and I enjoyed that the new baby’s first Santa picture happened while still inside the womb. In every situation there was a rewarding experience. With each visitor, emotions were usually at heightened levels. Many children expressed either great joy or great fear. Many parents were swept along with the child’s emotions, and reflected them loudly. In most situations a child’s joy heightened parental love, while a child’s fear heightened parental aggression. In all cases, I attempted to move the children and the family towards feelings of love and self-worth. In return, I remember a lot of smiles. © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2005 First Published December 18, 2005

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