My wife asked if I could write a children’s story for our kids this Christmas. I came up with the following, titled "Why Is Santa so Jolly?" To Sawyer, Vivi, Mimi, and Amelie:
Christmas is such a wonderful time of year,
Filled with decorations, singing, and cheer.
But have you ever stopped and looked at all those twinkling lights,
And wondered why does Santa come in the night?
Why does he stick presents under a tree?
And what on earth makes him so incredibly jolly?
Is it because he gets to zoom around the sky with his reindeer instead of going to bed?
Is it because of all the milk and cookies he’s fed?
Is it because an elf dropped a toy in his boot and it tickles his foot?
Has he been down too many chimneys, inhaled too much soot?
Perhaps, in fact, there’s a much deeper reason,
A purpose behind the joy of the season…
You see it all started way, way, way back when,
God created the world and a beautiful garden.
He made a man and a woman named Adam and Eve,
And loved them both more than you would ever believe.
He walked beside them and spoke with a kind voice,
But love is not love if there isn’t a choice…
In the garden he placed a fruit bearing tree,
And told them both “choose this or me”.
But they chose the fruit, a choice they’d regret,
When they’d work the ground with hardship and sweat,
For both were removed from the garden because of their sin,
But as sad as it made Him, he couldn’t let them back in.
For God is just and to choose against him is wrong,
He must demand payment for the wrongs that were done.
But how much do you pay to reunite with perfection?
Anything less than a perfect payment would be met with rejection.
But all along, God had a wonderful plan,
He’d fix it all with the birth of a man…
No ordinary man, but God himself, would come down from above,
To be born to Mary (who was engaged to Joseph, her love).
All this, to fulfill a promise he gave to a prophet named Isaiah hundreds of years before,
That he would bear all our sins, so we could be together once more.
Why such a long time in-between? In God’s timing we must trust,
He knows all things and everything that is good for us.
And so it was, late at night in a stable,
Jesus, the Christ was born, with a manger for a cradle.
He’d live a perfect life and commit no wrong,
And pay a perfect penalty when his life was all done,
With payment in place God could send us His Spirit,
And give us His indescribable joy that comes with it.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit—God’s nature is three,
Just like the number of points on your tree.
And that shiny star that you stick on top?
It’s like the star in the sky that told the wise men where to stop,
To bring to the newborn King gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense,
Thanking God for blessing us with the return of His presence.
What about Santa? I thought the story was supposed to tell us why he's so jolly and gives out toys?
Well, Santa Claus, that good ol’ saint Nick, gave his life to Christ and it filled him with joy,
And what better way to say thanks for the gift God gave us on that wonderful night,
Then to turn around and give gifts to all the children in sight?
So, if you happen to catch a glimpse of him, big smile on that white bearded chin,
Just remember that Jesus is the reason for the joy within him!
Merry Christmas!
- Nicolas C. Day
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