The article below was published in the Phil. Daily Inquirer and since today is Christmas, I would like to share this with you. By the way, for pun sake, I decided to play as Santa as well by replying to the question asked by the letter writer.
MERRY CHRISTMAS -ho-ho-ho - Gener "Gino" Marcelo
Stay away, Santa By Stephen Norries A. Padilla
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 17:44:00 12/24/2008
DEAR Santa,
I don’t want you to come to my house this Christmas, so please give yourself an early rest by striking my name off your list. I don’t care about the gift you thought I asked for; I don’t want it anymore. You can keep it. Better yet, give it to somebody else. The material gifts you bring don’t make me happy as much as they used to when I was a kid. Besides, I got my worldly wants all covered, thanks to an early gift I received in May (but no thanks to you).
Don’t worry about the gifts you reserved for my family. I also got those covered. This year, I will be their Santa Claus. It will be the first time I play you, so I hope I give justice to it. I promise to do my best. But I am sure we will be just fine. You can give the gifts you prepared for my loved ones to others. I assure you more people will be happy if you do that.
Don’t be mad. It is not that I don’t believe in you anymore. In fact, I still think you are that big guy in red and white with the cheerful “Ho-ho-ho!†preparing all sorts of gifts as Christmastime nears. How I wished to ride on your sleigh last night, with good old Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, leading the way around the world. The problem is, you make yourself so mysterious, almost to the point of nonexistence. That gets me (and a lot of other people) so confused. Are you even for real?
Don’t be sad. It is not that I am not grateful for all the things you have done and for all the dreams you made come true. I thank you with all my heart for these. You are very dedicated. I like that. Dedicated people deserve my friendship.
Having said that, you must know now that I consider you a friend. Let’s talk over a cup of coffee some time. My treat.
Santa, why do you do what you do? What do you get in return? And why do you leave Mrs. Claus all alone, out in the cold, on Christmas Eve? I think that is unkind of you to stay away from your loved ones on a night that is so special.
This Christmas I am away from my loved ones too because of my work. Thinking of it makes me sad. I wonder how you handle yourself when you go to work on Christmas Eve each year. Does staying away from home during the holiday season and giving without getting something in return make you happy?
I hope you are safe, Santa. More than your safety though, I wish that what you do makes you happy. I have many friends who are unhappy. I think they are stress by selfishness and by their unfortunate circumstances. I wish you could give them happiness instead of material gifts, which do not ensure long and lasting joy. Please make my wish come true for them.
I know God blesses all your efforts. I really love my friends. If only I could be Santa for them every day. But don’t worry, I don’t want to take your place.
Once again, let me tell you: Don’t visit me this Christmas. If I want a gift for myself, I would prefer to get it from someone I love. I know I love you in my mind, but it’s not the kind of love I give to people I spend the rest of my 365 ¼ days with during the year. I really wish gift-giving isn’t so materialistic this time. I want something from within, something someone dear to me has found especially for me. Do you get it?
I hope Jesus comes instead of you. Merry Christmas!
My Reply:Dear Santa Wannabe,
Today is December 25, 2008; exactly Christmas day, as usual I would have to spend it away from my family. I hope that through this letter that you may understand why I have to leave Mrs. Claus in the middle of the cold Christmas night.
You know, it is really difficult but I have to rally my thoughts so as not be in despair for I need to reassure Mrs. Claus and my children back home that everything is going to be fine. I have to keep this reassurance though words may not be enough to compensate for the lost of intimacy common to all absentee fathers like me, who has to play that stupid guy in the red suit who laughs ho-ho-ho. These unmistakable senses of loss, often surfacing as resentment - having missed my children grow up. I grope for words to describe the passing of an era which part of my live have been sacrificed.
From the moment they were born, I have looked at my children with a wish that I could see them grow into fine human beings every step of the way. I have perhaps exulted in their triumphs, and bled in their pain, more profusely than in my own. I think of them when I visit a nice place, or eat an unusually fine meal. I worry for their safety, and I cannot imagine not being able to recognize them in their mature years. In the age of absentee parenting, the communication of love has taken the form of a steady stream of gift-giving. This however cannot compensate for the erosion of intimacy. My children are now beginning to miss my living presence as a father - a gap I'm trying to compensate through monthly remittance and ‘balikbayan’ box every Christmas.
This Christmas of 2008 will just be another day of emotional struggle for me more than a season of joy. There is no better way of celebrating it than having your family around. Holiday cheers and greetings could offer a temporary relief though easier in theory than in practice but resiliency is far better than to procrastinate with our lives. After all, Christmas is all about sacrifice for the ones you loved most in the same way how Jesus had shown His love for us.
Signed,
Reluctant Santa
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