… I appreciate that last Christmas is a distant memory for a number of us and we are happy to just about get back to civilian living after all that festivity. However there is this issue about Santa and his gifts that I feel the time is right for us to talk about and hopefully iron out once and for all. I am not even going to get into the argument of whether Santa exists or not, or whether he gives gift or not, not today, maybe another day, another write up.
Now I must admit, I sometimes feel Santa is a bit of a queer guy. Why? You ask. The guy only turns up at night when everyone is sleeping, leaves whatever gift he feels like, disappears before anyone can question him on the approriateness of the gifts. It is a matter of take it or leave it. Sometimes we make list that is totally ignored. we get what we get, there is no return policy, no exchange’ policy, no ‘no quibble’ policy. He has no Complaint Department, no customer service office, no Corporate Solution. Love it or hate it, he is not coming back till next Christmas! So that is just how it goes.
Anyway Santa came, left me all these beautiful gifts and I was please, appreciative person I am, so I took my gifts rejoicing, my friends turned up and I couldn’t wait to tell them all about what I got, they seem quite excited, so I brought some out and we all shared, we ate what we needed to eat, sprayed what needed to be sprayed, played with the toys etc. After, they seemed dissatisfied, I figured I didn’ share enough, so I brought some more out and we did the same things all over again. Again they seem displeased when it was all over, so I decided to bring every thing out, I mean everything and I shared all with them, there was nothing left. When it was all over, all done, they rose up and insulted me, they wanted to know why I didn’t have any more gifts. I tried to explain that was all I got, I was happy with my gifts and equally happy to share with them, but they wouldn’t have any of that. They were livid and stormed out of my house.
Once they left, I sat puzzled, all Santa gave me I shared with you, moreover I was happy with what I got, why were you angry with me? Those are my gifts after all. Where are your gifts? Did Santa not come to your place? Why begrudge my giftings? Why project your dissatisfaction unto me?
My experience with human beings are similar. They come into your life and you share all you have with them, your giftings, calling and your essence, but it is never enough, not good enough for them and they insult and throw stones, they mudsling. Why? There own needs have not been met. We all have needs, there is no doubt, but we all can do only what we can do. We are not called to everyone, we are called to who we are called to, we are gifted with what we are gifted with, we can help those we can help, we can only do what we can do and after that there is no more we can do. Once we have exhausted Santa’s gift we are done. Santa is life, Santa is our maker. Life, our maker gives us what it gives us and that is what we have to share with people. Peter said, ” … gold and silver I have none, but such as I have I give thee …”. It is pointless begrudging Peter for the gold and silver he does not have. But most importantly, let charity start at home. Let us look in our house and that begs the question, did Santa visit us? Didn’t life give us anything? Yes Santa ‘seem’ more generous to some than others. Though this is usually an issue of perception. Does this give us the right to slaughter our brother that has more? especially when sometimes there is no more.
Maybe, just maybe, we need to take issue with Santa, maybe our umbrage is directed to the wrong person and we are barking at the wrong tree. Or maybe we have no right whatsoever to take issue with Santa or anyone, maybe we must just find a way to make the best of what we are given. Let each man find solace in what he has been given. Godliness with contentment is great gain. At some level, we are all, each and every one of us is Santa, to give to others as we have been given to, not to arm wrestle out of people what they don’t have or aren’t willing to give.
Beautiful Ivory 