|
Project Santa from a new perspective
By Lisa Shea-Linden ’86
 hristmas
was always my favorite time of year. The magic in the air, the smell
of cookies baking and the hopes for a generous Santa. This feeling,
I thought, would pass when I enrolled in college. It didn’t—but
my reasons changed. After three months of dorm life and no homecooked
meals, Christmas became magical again—or at least Christmas
break did! My anticipation was eased when my sorority participated
in Project Santa, and I learned to give rather than receive.
My feelings for Christmas changed again when I had children. Now,
as an adult, Santa Claus embodies the spirit of giving. When I overheard
a kindergartener ask a classmate if he still believed in Santa,
I was determined to keep the spirit of Santa alive in my children
for as long as I could. I decided to write them a personalized letter
from Santa, mentioning their names, ages, town, recent accomplishments,
toys they wanted and an area where they needed improvement. And
Santa confessed in my letter to the kids that he had eaten too many
cookies last year and that his suit didn’t fit anymore.
Who could have imagined their responses when those red envelopes
arrived in the mail! They started listening and cleaning up their
toys and even going to bed on time. That’s when I realized
Santa has The Power. I should have started this years before, I
thought.
Given the chance, a whole generation of younger kids will believe
in the magic. When I mentioned the change in my children’s
behavior to my co-workers, they asked if I could write letters to
their kids. Eventually it became a business, with each Santa letter
postmarked from the North Pole.
Being Santa helps me understand that all kids are basically alike,
tall or short, rich or poor. The more requests and replies I received
the more “normal” I realized my children are. And sometimes,
the requests are heart-breaking. One dad wrote, “Santa, please
explain to my five-year old that even though Mommy and Daddy are
divorced, they both love him very much.” Others are just funny.
One mom expressed that her one-year-old constantly eats the toilet
paper off the roll (I had a roommate at Edgewood apartments who
did the same thing). “Can you please let her know that if she
stops she’ll get that Barney toy?”
The most rewarding experience of being Santa is hearing the reactions
on the receiving end. One little girl brought her letter in for
show and tell. Another seven-year-old boy slept with it under his
pillow every night until Santa actually came.
When my Theta Pi Omicron sisters and I hosted the Project Santa
dance for handicapped children, we all danced together that night.
It was one of my first experiences of the joy that comes from giving.
My Santa letters are part of the same impulse—the desire to
make the holiday season a little more magical for children, both
young and old at heart. I hope I can keep the spirit of Santa alive
for one more child, one more year. 
_____________________
Lisa Shea-Linden is an inside
sales coordinator for Alphaquest. She and her husband live in Marlton
with their two children, ages 8 and 5.
|
