A Runaway at Christmas

It had been an unusual day at work, but that’s because it was the last Friday before Christmas.  Christmas isn’t until next Tuesday, but the company is giving us Monday and Tuesday off to celebrate, so we had our Christmas party at work today.  Management closed the office at noon so we wouldn’t be interrupted, and the festivities began with a catered luncheon.  My co-workers and I didn’t anticipate that the luncheon would amount to much, so we volunteered to bring in dishes and desserts to share, the same as we did every other year.  There was plenty of food to go around and it was all delicious, so everyone had a very enjoyable time. 

After we finished eating, the company president handed out the presents that had been brought in and placed under the Christmas tree.  We’d each drawn a name previously so we could participate in the Secret Santa process, and the president was handing out the presents we’d marked with the name of the person whose name we’d drawn.  As we were opening our gifts, the president also went around handing out envelopes.  We thought they were merely Christmas cards, but we were in for a surprise.  In addition to paying for the catered luncheon, the company also gave us a holiday bonus.  It was something we weren’t expecting, but we knew the money would definitely come in handy. 

The party lasted until the end of the workday, and then a few of my co-workers invited me to join them as they headed out to a local bar for Happy Hour, but I respectfully declined.  I explained that I had to do some last-minute Christmas shopping while my family was busy with other activities, so I’d be able to keep their gifts a secret.  I didn’t want to buy them too early, because my wife and children were prone to snoop and ‘accidentally’ discover what they were getting if I left the gifts in the house for too long.  In fact, I was planning on hiding them in my workshop overnight, and then I’d move them tomorrow after my wife took the kids ice skating.  It was an event open to every child in the area and sponsored by our local recreation department. 

Anyway, after I finished my shopping and had loaded everything in the SUV, I headed home.  There was a light snow falling, but it was sufficient to make the roads slippery, so I took my time because I didn’t want to have an accident.  As I was making a right-hand turn onto the street where I lived, I noticed a stationary object located on the opposite corner of the street as my headlights passed over the area while I was making the turn.  It wasn’t long enough for me to determine exactly what was there, but I suspected it might be a child, so I pulled over to the curb so I could investigate. 

My stopping didn’t seem to bother or concern whatever was there, but the more I looked at the figure the more convinced I was that it was a child.  For that reason, I turned off the engine, got out of the driver’s seat, and walked over to see if there was something I could do to help. 

As I drew closer, I could definitely tell it was a young boy by the way he was dressed.  He had on a dark jacket that looked as if it would be more appropriate for September or October, and he was wearing a dark-colored hoodie underneath, with the hood pulled over his head.  The top of the hoodie and the shoulders of the jacket were covered in a light dusting of snow, and he had his hands in his jacket pockets.  The amazing thing was that he didn’t look up as I approached and appeared to be staring a hole into the pavement.  Since he appeared totally oblivious to my presence, I spoke to get his attention. 

“Is there something I can help with?” I asked. 

After a lengthy pause, he said, “Prolly not.”

“Well, you seem a little young to be out after dark and dressed like you are, so can I give you a ride home?”

“No!  I’m mad at my parents!” he screamed in reply. 

“Even so, they’re probably very worried about you and might have even called the police to report you missing.” 

“Nah, I told my mom I was gonna stay at my friend’s house.  That’s why I’ve got this,” he added as he pointed at the small duffle bag that he’d been sitting on, which I hadn’t noticed previously. 

“Well, I hope they don’t discover you aren’t staying with your friend or they might get upset.  By the way, what are you mad at them for?” 

“They lied to me.”

“Would you mind telling me what they lied to you about?”

“Yeah, they told me that Santa Claus was real and he’s not!”

“What makes you think Santa isn’t real?”

“A bunch of the kids in my class laughed at me when we were having our Christmas party at school, after I said I couldn’t wait for Santa to bring my presents.  When they stopped laughing, they told me Santa wasn’t real and only little kids still believed in him.  I didn’t want to believe them at first, but on the ride home on the school bus I saw three different guys dressed up as Santa, so I knew they were telling me the truth.  Santa isn’t real.”

“Look, I want to talk more about this with you, but it’s awfully cold out here and I’m shivering.  I’m only wearing a light overcoat over my suit and my head is getting wet from the snow, and I imagine you’re cold as well, so what if we go over and sit in my car.  I’ll turn on the heater while we’re discussing this.”

He looked up and appeared to be studying me, and he was probably thinking he shouldn’t agree to do this, and he was right.  I shouldn’t have put him in this predicament, since I knew better, but we were both going to either catch a cold or pneumonia if we stood out here for much longer, so I thought this would be best. 

“Ok,” he reluctantly agreed, and then he picked up his duffle bag as he followed me across the street. 

Once we were both inside, I started the engine and turned on the heater, and then I decided to address his problem as we waited for the car to warm up. 

“Those guys you saw dressed up as Santa are just some of his helpers.  You can’t expect him to be everywhere, since Santa’s only one person and has a lot to do at this time of year, so he needs many helpers.”

“If he can’t be everywhere at one time, then how does he deliver presents all around the world on one night?”

“Look, you seem to be a very bright boy, so it makes me wonder how old you are.”

“I’m almost eight,” he stated as he pulled back the hood so I could see his face.  He was a cute kid, with jet black hair and big, brown eyes, and he seemed ready to argue with me if I didn’t believe him.

“I see, so is your birthday right after Christmas or in January?”

“My birthday’s in Feb’uary.”  I guess that’s close enough for a kid to be ‘ALMOST’ the next year older. 

“Since you’re mad at your parents for lying to you, I’m going to be honest and tell you the truth.  Santa isn’t a flesh and blood person, he’s merely a myth or a fantasy.”

“What do ya mean?”

“Santa was created by adults to add a little more joy to the holiday season and explain how all of the wonderful presents wound up under your Christmas tree.  In a way, he represents the Three Wise Men that brought presents to the Christ child.  He is also loosely based on Saint Nicolas, a Christian religious leader who lived nearly two-thousand years ago and was known for his kindness and generosity.  It is said that he secretly gave gifts to those in need.” 

“Is that why the Christmas song starts out ‘Jolly Old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way!  Don’t you tell a single soul what I’m going to say’?  My grade had to sing that song in the Holiday Concert last year.”

“I see, and yes, that’s the reason the song begins that way.  What did your class sing this year?”

“We sang I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, and now it makes a lot more sense to me.”

“Yes, I’m sure it does, but let’s get back to our previous discussion.  Santa is sometimes also called Saint Nicholas, because Saint Nicholas was one of the earliest models for Santa Claus.  So, you see, there’s not just one person who is Santa Claus and that’s why he needs so many helpers, including your parents.”   

“But why did they need him?”

“We know Christmas is about the birth of the Christ child, but we couldn’t have baby Jesus going around giving out presents to good boys and girls.  Since that wasn’t possible, the adults who lived a long time ago had to come up with someone else for that task, so they created Santa Claus, or Father Christmas in some other countries.  Santa not only gets a gleam in his eyes when he’s delivering presents to good boys and girls, but he also puts a gleam in the eyes of all the children when they receive those presents as well.”

“So, there really is a Santa Claus, but he just isn’t a real man?” 

“That’s correct.  In fact, today there’s a Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, and in your case they’re your mom and dad.”  

“Then they didn’t really lie to me when they told me Santa was a jolly old elf?”

“No, that version of Santa merely represents all of the people who do the job for him.  Would Christmas have been as much fun for you and as exciting if you didn’t expect Santa to come to your house and drop off a bunch of presents?”

“No, I guess not, but that means he doesn’t ride in a sleigh pulled by reindeer and come down the chimney either.”

“Nope.  Do you think he would take the chance of burning his butt on the fire down below?”  He giggled.

“And what about the elves?”

 “Oh, they’re all the people who work for the companies that make the things we get as presents.” 

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“You know, you never told me your name.”

“It’s Andy Pierce.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Andy, and I’m Mr. Fletcher, Gordon Fletcher.  If you’ll tell me where you live, I’ll give you a ride home.”

“But what will I tell my mom and dad?  They think I’m stayin’ at my friend’s house.”

“Just tell them your friend wasn’t feeling well, so you asked his dad to give you a ride home.”

“Yeah, I could do that, cuz his dad has a car like this one.”

“Good, then just tell me where to take you.”

“I live on Baxter Street.  Do you know where that is?”

“Yes, it’s only a short way from here, so we’ll be there in no time.  I live just a couple of blocks down this street, at 3757 Oak, so if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks, I’ll remember your address and won’t forget to come see you if I have more questions ‘bout stuff.”

After I dropped him off and made certain that he got in the house, I drove home.  When I got there I went inside and gave my wife a kiss and a hug, and then I went to find my children so I could give both of them a hug as well.  They were a few years older than Andy, so it made me wonder if they’d ever gone through a phase similar to what he had just gone through when they first learned that Santa wasn’t real.  If so, they never said anything about it to my wife or me.  It just seemed as if one Christmas they believed in Santa and the next Christmas they didn’t, although they still played along when we put tags on some of their gifts that indicated they came from Santa. 

I certainly hope there aren’t any other children this Christmas who are dealing with a crisis similar to what Andy dealt with, but if there are I hope an adult takes the time to discuss the situation with them.  As for the rest of you, I want to wish a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

 

The End.