I was preparing to go to bed when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door and to my surprise, I saw Santa Claus stepping out from behind the Christmas tree.

“What are you doing here?” I started to ask, but the words choked up in my throat as I saw that he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone.

Santa said, “We’ve done it all wrong. You need to teach the children.”

Fumbling in his sack, he drew forth a bright shining gold star.

“Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. Teach the children that God promised a Saviour for the world and a sign of the fulfilment of that promise was the Star of the East. The star now reminds us of God’s love for mankind. The countless shining stars at night now show the burning hope of all mankind.”

Santa laid the star upon the fireplace mantle and drew forth a glittering red Christmas ornament. “Teach the children, red is the first colour of Christmas. It was first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood which was shed for all people by the Saviour. Christ shed his blood that every man might have God’s gift to all, eternal life.”

“Teach the children,” he said dislodging a small Christmas tree from his bag. He hung the red ornament on the Christmas tree. The deep green of the fir tree was perfect background for the ornament.

Here was the second colour of Christmas. “The pure colour of the stately fir tree remains green all year round. This depicts the everlasting hope of mankind, and the everlasting life we can get through His Son. Green is the hopeful, abundant colour of nature. All the needles point heavenward, symbolic of man’s need to focus on heaven. The tree itself is a symbol of that other tree, the one that became a cross.”

Suddenly I heard a soft tinkling sound. “Teach the children, that as the lost sheep are found by sounds of the bell, so should it ring for men to return to the fold; it means guidance and return to God; it further signifies all are precious in the eyes of the Lord. He left the 99 and went in search of the one.”

Santa drew forth a candle and the soft glow from its tiny flame cast an eerie glow about the darkened room. Odd shapes in the shadow slowly danced and weaved upon the walls.

“Teach the children,” whispered Santa, “that the candle shows man’s thanks for the star of long ago. It signifies the Light that shines within all God’s people. A light that should never be hidden. Its flame seems very weak, but it chases away the darkness, just as the stars do. At first candles were placed on the Christmas Tree, they were like many glowing stars shining against the dark green. Safety now has removed the candles from the tree and the coloured lights have taken over in remembrance.”

Santa turned the small Christmas tree lights on and picked up a gift from under the tree. He pointed to the large bow ribbon and said, “Teach the children. A bow is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of the brotherhood of man. We should remember that the bow is tied as men should be tied together with the bonds of good will and love toward each other. Goodwill forever is the message of the bow.”

Then he slung the bag over his shoulder and began to reach up on the Christmas tree. He reached for a candy cane, purposely placed high on the tree and reached out toward me with it.

“Teach the children that the candy cane represents the Shepherd’s crook. The crook on the staff helps bring back the strayed sheep to the fold. The candy cane represents the helping hand we should show at Christmas time. The candy is the symbol that we are our brother’s keeper. The red represents the Blood of Salvation, and the white the Purity that only comes from it’s cleansing flow.”

As he looked about the room, a feeling of satisfaction and relief showed in his face. Then he brought forth a large holly wreath. He placed it on the fireplace and said, “Please teach the children that the wreath symbolises the eternal nature of God’s love; it never ceases, stops or ends. It is one continuous round of affection. The wreath does double duty. It is made of many things and in many colours. It reminds us all of the things of Christmas.”

As I gazed at the wreath, he slipped away, his job done - pointing people back to the real meaning behind this celebration.