This beautiful article was published in the Oregonian newspaper several years ago. I shared this with Livi the night her Uncle spilled the beans. I love how the author tenderly graces the magic in our lives. I hope you enjoy this incredible letter too.
THE OREGONIAN
Copyright (c) 2002, The Oregonian Publishing Company
Sunday, December 22, 2002
TAG: 0212200196
EDITION: SUNRISE
SECTION: LIVING
PAGE: L01
LENGTH: 112 lines
HEADLINE: SANTA IS GIVING HIS GREATEST GIFT TO ONE OF HIS 'SPECIAL CHILDREN'
BYLINE: MARGIE BOULE - of The Oregonian staff
TEXT:
You could say Della Rae and Terry Shanley caused this whole mess by
being too good at their jobs as parents and makers of magic.
Every year on Christmas morning the Shanley home in Southwest Portland is
filled with evidence that Santa Claus has made an appearance overnight.
There is the half-eaten cookie on the special Santa plate in the dining
room, and the carrot stubs with reindeer tooth marks on them. There is the
thank-you-for-the-treats note from Santa. And in the back yard are what appear
to be honest-to-goodness reindeer tracks. Della Rae can swear to their
authenticity, "because I grew up in a family of hunters," she says. She knows
her hoof prints.
So it's no wonder the Shanley's 10-year-old daughter Kaeli has been a true
believer. Even as her friends began to doubt the existence of Santa, Kaeli was
quite sure he was real. She'd seen proof, she told her friends. She'd seen the
hoof prints out back.
This year, however, Kaeli entered what Della Rae calls "an age of
awakening. . . . She's asking more questions and questioning more answers." It
also began to bother her, after all those safety lectures at home and at
school, that a stranger was entering their home once a year while the Shanleys
slept. Kaeli's younger sister, Madison, expressed concern about the tooth
fairy, too.
Della Rae says she and Terry tried to assuage the girls' concerns. "We
would say things like, 'You know these are special people, who only do special
things, good things, for children. And we invite them into our house. We would
not let anybody come into our house uninvited.' " But Kaeli wasn't completely
reassured.
Terry and Della Rae decided it was time to have "the talk" with Kaeli about
who Santa really is. So one evening last week, after Madison was asleep, the
Shanleys sat down with their oldest daughter. "I watched her as her dad
started speaking," Della Rae says. "And when he came to the words, 'We're
Santa Claus,' her face just went blank." That's when the Shanleys realized
"she believed. We had no idea Kaeli, at this age, truly believed Santa was
real." But she did.
Kaeli sputtered, Della Rae says. "Two-word sentences came out of her mouth:
'Reindeer prints. The cookies. The presents.' It was like all the Christmases
Past were passing before her eyes. And then came the tears."
Kaeli's grandmother died last year. To Della Rae, "when I looked at Kaeli's
face, it was as if she'd lost somebody else she loved."
This was not the way Terry and Della Rae had anticipated the discussion.
"It was one of those parental moments you wish you could rewind and redo,"
Della Rae says. "At that point it was a disaster."
Terry and Della Rae tried to explain to Kaeli that Santa was a wonderful
concept, "but nothing we could say at that time would ease her mind. I laid
with her that night, and we talked for about an hour until she feel asleep.
She was not angry. She was heartbroken."
The next morning when Della Rae awoke there was an envelope on the dining
room table. Kaeli had risen early and written to Santa Claus. "Of course,"
says Della Rae, "like any mother would, I opened it. I wanted to know what she
was feeling."
The note was brief, "but so sweet." Kaeli told Santa she was sad he wasn't
real. But it ended, "I love you, Mom and Dad." And she signed off with, "Write
a note back."
Della Rae spent some time thinking about what Kaeli might want to hear in a
return letter. And then she sat down and wrote a letter from her heart, to her
quiet, brown-eyed, sweet-faced daughter. A letter from Santa:
Dearest Kaeli (my greatest fan,)
So, you've been wondering if I'm real? I heard your parents trying to
explain to you the true meaning of who I am and what I represent. I thought
I'd help them out. Your parents have done their best to give you the gift of their tradition. They grew up, as you have, knowing and loving me, Santa. They knew as children that Santa would enter their homes (how that happened, they never knew), and they would awaken Christmas morning to gifts Santa had left them under the tree. What a wonderful tradition! As they grew older, some of their friends started doubting I existed. Those children tried to persuade others not to believe in me. As you know, many people have different beliefs in what the holiday season is all about and observe different traditions at this time of year. Children love the celebrations because they usually receive gifts. Kaeli, when children like you grow into young adults, they receive the gift of who I am and what this holiday season really means. Young children may not understand that special gift; you can't wrap it up and put it under the tree. "Your parents asked me to write you a letter to help you understand the special gifts they are passing down to you every day.
My name is: Santa Claus, Kriss Kringle, Claus, St. Nicholas, St. Nick, Santa or Fat Man with a White Beard. These are names that have been given to me through the years. But who I am represents so much more: I am the end of the rainbow, the luck of a head's-up penny, and Tinker Bell's fairy dust. I am your good luck charm, your Guardian Angel and your wishing star. I am your prayer at night, your lucky dress and your best friend. I am in every gift you receive and especially in every gift you give. I am the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Candy Fairy. I am the candle on your birthday cake, I am the four-leaf clover and I am the penny in the wishing well. I am your hug in the morning, your kiss goodbye and your goodnight wish. I am the magic in a snowflake, the colors in a sunset and the mist of the ocean breeze. I am in the words, 'Thank you,' 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you.' So, Kaeli, the gift I bring to you this year is the greatest gift you ever will receive from me. Only special children know who I am and what I represent. You are now one of those special children. Take the gift of who I am, and share a wish, share a hug, share a dream, share hope and share love. These are the true gifts that people need to receive every day from Santa. Merry Christmas, Kaeli, every day of the year.
Love,
Santa
The letter will be waiting for Kaeli on Christmas morning, with the
half-eaten cookie and the reindeer tracks and the gifts under the tree.
Perhaps Kaeli will save it and one day read it to her own children when
they're old enough.
In fact, Santa's letter may be Kaeli's gift most worth keeping this year.
Call it a saving grace.
. But now that I am older, I really appreciate everything that my parents have done. Christmas is a special season on it's own. Whenever you are in my parents home you are immediately surround by Christmas- sights, smells, and sounds. It is truly a blessing!
