|
| Lopez Island | Orcas Island | Visitor's Guide |
            
        
|
|
DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
|
Email this page to a friend Previous
|
|
LETTERS TO SANTA
Halloween is still three weeks away, but the Christmas catalogs have begun to arrive in the mail; and little children have noticed. I've already had several conversations with kids about what they're going to ask Santa to bring them. "Have you been good?" I ask, knowing with certainty what their answer will be. It does, however, bring back many childhood memories of my own letters to Santa. For me, Christmas catalogs served two purposes. They were the source of gifts for relatives who lived far away, and they inspired wish lists for my parents and Santa Claus. In the beginning I was taught to turn down page corners for the items I wanted. My parents would help me write my letter to Santa "when it was time." Later I learned to make my own list with columns for the toy description as well as the title and page number of the catalog. Santa's mailbox at the North Pole must have been huge to hold letters from all the children around the world as well as the catalogs they listed in those letters. Knowing that my parents were on a limited budget, I always put the less expensive toys on their list. The expensive items went on Santa's list. After all, if the elves made them for Santa he didn't need to buy them. When my mother became teary-eyed as I shared this logic, I assumed that she was really proud of my thinking. On Christmas morning I never got everything I asked Santa to bring. However nearly everything Santa brought had been on my list. It was rather miraculous that I got all these things I wanted just because I asked for them. I no longer write letters to Santa. Adults don't expect such miracles from the jolly old elf who caters to children. However we still sometimes approach our prayers with the same naivete and greed.
© 2005 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
|
|
SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
|
