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Steven Manchester: The Spirit of Santa Claus
A few years back, my son Jacob returned home heart-broken from school.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“Some kids at school were laughing at me, saying there’s no such thing as Santa Claus.”
“No such thing as Santa Claus?” I replied.
“Well, is there?” he asked, searching my eyes for the truth.
I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts—knowing full well this was going to be a defining moment in our relationship, as well as his young life. Just like my father before me, I answered Jacob’s question with a question of my own. “What do you think?”
He thought about it for a moment and shrugged. “I don’t think Santa’s real,” he said and looked at me, his eyes filled with the tears of betrayal.
I shook my head. “I think you’re all wrong,” I told him and stood. “Come with me. I need to show you something.” I led him into the basement.
Climbing over a pile of boxes, I finally reached the box that was filled with Isabella’s—Jacob’s little sister—Christmas presents.
“Who are these for?” he asked, peering into the box.
“Bella,” I told him honestly. “And I need your help wrapping them, okay?”
He nodded and we began our work right away.
As we wrapped the toys, I explained, “Santa Claus is the spirit of Christmas, Jacob…the spirit of giving from your heart as an expression of love. Santa Claus is a reminder that there are more important things in the world than the worries of everyday life.”
His eyebrows danced in confusion.
“Santa Claus is the spirit of true fellowship,” I added, “…of feeling connected to the human race and celebrating that bond through simple acts of kindness and generosity.
I watched the struggle behind Jacob’s innocent eyes, as he tried to understand. “Who are these presents from?” he asked, sticking a new tag onto one of the gifts.
“It’s from you,” I told him, “but write Santa Claus.”
His eyes flew up.
“Santa Claus lives in all of us, Jacob,” I explained with a nod, “so the kids at school are wrong.”
Although it took Jacob a few days to reconcile this new truth, it all came together on Christmas morning. As Isabella unwrapped her Christmas presents, Jacob was watching his sister closely—and smiling wide. Filled with joy, his eyes twinkled with the love of the jolly old elf, himself.
Long after I’m gone, Santa Claus will live on in my children, I thought and received one of the greatest gifts I’d ever gotten.
About the Author...
"Steven Manchester has a gift for expressing through his writing the complicated and transcendent beauty of the human experience with poignant clarity," says Yolanda King, eldest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King. "Steven Manchester writes about life as it really is and really could be," adds Crystal Book Reviews. Steven Manchester’s work has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s The Early Show, CNN’s American Morning and BET’s Nightly News. Recently, three of Manchester’s short stories were selected “101 Best” for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Manchester writes deeply moving, intensely relatable novels that readers tend to remember and discuss for a long time.
This was such a heartwarming story about family, generosity, and the deeper meaning behind the spirit of Christmas. I especially liked how the father turned a difficult moment into an opportunity to teach Jacob that Santa Claus can represent kindness, love, and the joy of giving to others. The moment when Jacob watches his sister open the presents and realizes the meaning behind the tradition is particularly touching. I also liked the idea that meaningful values can continue through generations, long after the people who taught them are gone. In a similar way, a thoughtful perfume brand can become part of family traditions and special occasions, with certain scents creating memories that people continue to associate with loved ones and meaningful…
The most interesting part of this story is how the meaning of Santa Claus shifts from a literal figure into something that can be carried forward through everyday actions. The conversation between a parent and child also shows how difficult ideas can sometimes be understood more clearly through participation rather than explanation alone. Wrapping the presents gives the child a practical role in discovering what generosity means, rather than simply being told what to believe. That idea has relevance beyond family traditions, particularly in situations where values need to survive changes in circumstances. In professional settings, for example, processes often become meaningful only when the people involved understand the purpose behind them rather than merely following a checklist. The same…
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