The First Annual Santa Awards

In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to The Sun, a prominent New York City newspaper, asking whether or not there was a Santa Claus. The editor, Francis Church, responded. His response, over a hundred years later, still softens our hearts at Christmastime.

 

“Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see … Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist … How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.”

For me, the love and generosity of the Christmas season spring from the life of Jesus Christ. So, when believers and non-believers, can join in a celebration of love and generosity – even calling it Santa Claus – I believe all the world benefits.

This spirit manifests itself in many forms. In England, he is Father Christmas; in France, Pere Noel. In Hawaii, he is Kanakoloka, who sails a boat; in Holland, he is Sinterklaas. In Sweden, Jultomten arrives by goat; while in Russia, Santa Ded Moroz, walks with a magic stick. All of them are different, yet all of them tell the same story of love, generosity and devotion that entwines them with us.

It seems at Christmastime, the spirit of giving grows so strong as to take on physical form, then, the image of a jolly bearded elf, wrapped in red, and trimmed in white, becomes a rallying point for anyone – regardless of religion – to love, give and celebrate the season.
So with these thoughts dancing through my head like sugarplums, I decided, in the spirit of Christmas, to select the recipient for my first annual Santa Clause Award.

I began the nominations with the organizers of the Community Table in Lexington.
Founded by Russell Thompkins and his late wife Jamie, the volunteers today spend countless hours, year-round, relieving hunger through the dignity of a community restaurant without a cash register. Here, everyone is welcome, from the rich to the poor, from the powerful to the meek. Last Monday alone, the restaurant overflowed with smiles, full stomachs and Christmas spirit. A small brass band played while Santa visited with the children.

Then I thought of Collette Barry-Rec, who, for years, has organized the Care Box Project, sending hundreds of packages full of goodies, special gifts and love to our military serving in harm’s way. She is at it again this year.

I could not leave out Elaine Porter. Year after year, she helps organize the Buena Vista leg of the Rockbridge area Christmas box project. I checked, she was there again this year, helping smooth through the rough spots so that everyone felt like Santa and no one noticed the labor.
There is Missy Floyd who, with love and patience, produces the Nut Cracker Ballet every year – to the delight of the entire community – and what about Elaine Pence, stirring the spirit of Santa from the community theater in Buena Vista.

There is Katherine, whose last name escaped me, who works so hard this time of year getting jobs for the mentally and physically handicapped. And even though I do not know him, how could I leave out the older gentleman, dressed barely sufficient to keep out the weather, who stood in the cold, ringing a bell outside of Walmart. He was still there – all three times I visited that day.

How can one man know about all the secret Santas? Even though one of them scared me out of my wits by banging loudly on my front door, after dark, then running away before I could thank them for the warm loaf of bread they left on my doorstep.

I have yet to touch on the hundreds of dedicated moms and dads who quietly work long hours, in hectic stores, to ensure their children get presents this year.

There are just too many to name!

This is an impossible task!

I am not qualified to judge!

So I’ll let God be the judge, but I believe that even he might just lean back and watch, pleased that so many of his children are celebrating his message – even if they call it Santa Claus.
I realize there are still many who do not believe in Santa, but I do, because I have seen him – and her – at work.

“No Santa Claus, thank God he lives, and he lives forever, a thousand years from now, nay, ten times 10,000 years from now he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood” (Francis Church 1897).

Read Full Post »

Silver Linings

 I like to think I am an optimist, but it can be difficult.

The craziness in Ferguson has tested my optimism and set race relations back years. It seems the  only people who have gained from the carnage are people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton – who will now play it for all it is worth.

It’s hard to be an optimist when the officer involved in the shooting, even after the grand jury refused to indict him, is treated as an outcast, refused any sort of severance by the city, and is forced to sulk away like some child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Keep in mind, ten minutes prior to the Ferguson confrontation, (about the same time Michael Brown was robbing a neighborhood store) Officer Wilson had jumped a call to go to the home of a sick African-American child to provide support until the ambulance could arrive

It’s hard to be optimistic when so many black leaders fan the flames of divisiveness. Consider Michael Dyson, named by Essence magazine one of the 40 most inspiring African- Americans – and by Ebony magazine as one of the 100 most influential black Americans who wrote last week in the New York Times about the “plague of white cops who kill unarmed black youth.”

When did that plague start? Statistics show the exact opposite case.

It’s hard to remain an optimist when statistics from several sources show that 72 percent of African-American births are to unwed mothers and that 67 percent of African-Americans children are being raised in single-parent homes. This compares to 25 percent in non- Hispanic white homes.

Michael Brown beat the odds – in some ways. He lived with his mother and stepfather, a two time convicted drug dealer, who shouted repeatedly to the already inflamed crowd (after the Grand Jury announced it would not indict the officer) to “burn this bitch down.”

Then the President stepped in, killing what little optimism I had left when White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest announced the formation of a new task force which would focus on the alleged disparities between the treatment of blacks and whites at the hands of sworn officers – blaming it totally on the cops…again.
Unbelievable.

It should not have surprised me. Remember 2009, when our fairly new community organizer in chief, before learning the facts, took sides with his fellow African American Harvard Professor and immediately condemned the police.

Should it surprise us that the same Attorney General who last July was blaming racism for political opposition to Obama’s policies, now, even before the Justice Department investigation is complete, is already announcing that the Ferguson Police are in need of a major makeover.

Doubtless, we need to improve relations between the black community and the police. However, if we continue to ignore core issues such as poverty, crime, failing schools and the breakdown of black families – the problems will never go away.

I’m not very optimistic however, since the entire law enforcement chain of command from the Police Chief through the Mayor and Governor all the way to the Justice Department and President are liberal Democrats and have been for years. How’s that working out for you Ferguson?

So what is there to be optimistic about?

Well, for one thing, we are having this discussion, and moderate leaders within the African-American community are finally starting to be heard when they speak about the real causes of violence in their communities.

Then, there is the goodness of the American people that always seems to follow on the heels of tragedy.

Take Natalie DuBose, for example. Natalie, an African-American, built up her bakery business from nothing, and thought she had lost it all after rioters destroyed it. Since then, however, she has received over $100,000 from people who heard of her story and were willing to help her rebuild.

Then, paying it forward, Debose started other fund raising programs to help other community business owners devastated by the riots.

CNN reported that during the riots, some neighbors linked arms to protect businesses from the looters. Come morning; they were already helping with the cleanup. With strong people like this, Ferguson will soon rise from the ashes.

I’m still enough of an optimist to believe that most people are good. I also believe the problems in Ferguson, and in other poor black communities across the nation, will be improved by people doing good more so than by people who divide.

Read Full Post »