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My Santa Claus
Cyndi Moore
And Her Granfather
John Portz |
A Gift From Me to You
This is a tale about the belief in Santa Claus. It is my hope that it will help remind us that he lives in each one of us. My hope is to help you recapture that part of yourselves that you might have forgotten in such a hectic and stressful modern world.
The belief in Santa Claus comes easy for children, almost without question, and many children have faith in the warmth of the Spirit or God without needing proof. Children hold fast to the knowledge that the joy and happiness of the holiday season is not just from toys, but the gift of knowing that Christmas is more than just a man in a red suit- it is the very act of giving of one’s self to his fellow man.
This is a story about a man who was really Santa Claus, every day of his life, and gave all those who met him a incredible gift: the knowledge of what Christmas was truly all about.
Growing up in Northern California in the small town of Roseville, Christmas was a Magical time of year for me. To my young mind, we had the best Santa Clause a kid could ever meet, the best toy store ever, called The Treehouse, and the luck of Christmas carols flooding my head everyday when I sang in my school‘s choir.
I remember going to Treehouse Toys n Gifts, which was owned by Carl n Joanne Funk, with my mother, seeing toys that were unique and one of kind; toys so special, they seemed to be made for each child.
As if the feeling of The Treehouse Toy store was not awe inspiring by itself, at Christmas time, they had the best Santa Claus. He was just like the Santa Claus from “Miracles On 34th Street”, and from 1976-1980 this was my Santa Claus.
Santa Claus had a real white beard, the hearty, deep laugh; This santa was the dream of what children believe Santa should be, come to life.
This Santa was the true blue thing- right down to knowing everything I was doing. “Hey, Stacey, how are you doing? Are you still singing in the choir? How are your friends? Sandy, Cindy, Mish, Karen, Stephanie, Sarah," It did not matter who my friends were at the time, he knew them and he knew their names. He knew when I was having trouble with math one year, as if he had looked into his magic snow globe and really did know when I was sleeping, really did know if I had been bad or good. As a child it completely blew my mind!
At this time in my life, I also had the privilege to be apart of an award winning choir program, Under the direction of Gail Hauser. Having many medals under our belts, the schools I attended were triple superior choirs, and part of the one of the best music programs in the state of California.
In 1980, W.T. Eich was the only Junior High school in Roseville, which was the 7th and 8th grade for the whole city, who children were attending public school. Roseville also only had two high schools, Roseville High School and Oakmont High School. It did not matter what elementary school you might have attended, if you lived in Roseville, all 7th and 8th graders, went to school together. Kids that had been in the choir program at other schools in the city, now would be in one huge choir at the Junior High level.
Christmas time is when our choir really shined. Such amazing music came out of us, though we were just children.
Now that I have woven this string of connectedness, please follow along as I continue with my tale…….
In seventh grade I turned 12 years old; while most kids were out growing the belief of Santa, I began to feel embarrassed, because I still believed he was real. Can you imagine what was going through my mind? Talk about peer pressure! I thought I would die if any of my classmates or my friends knew my secret.
And with my child mind, I reasoned that maybe my friends just had not met my Santa Claus. I mean, I was a kid, I had met other Santa’s. I had seen the fake beards and the one’s without the jolly tummies. I could see how other kids would think that those Santa’s were not the real one, but simply an icon created to deceive. I really thought that if my friends met my Santa Claus they would change their minds- after all, my Santa was the real one! The man who knew everything!
I remember coaxing some friends to visit my Santa Claus that year. And of course he knew their names, and again asked about the choir. My friends did not know my extreme belief in the validity of the man they were talking with. I found some peace again.
It was the spring of 1980 when I learned the truth of why my Santa Claus knew so much about me. The Choir should have been my clue.
It was after our spring choir concert, when I saw my Santa Claus walking into the choir room. I froze! I watched as my Santa walked over to stand near one of the choir students. I watched as Mrs. Hauser walk over to greet my Santa Claus, and listened to him introduce himself as John Portz, Cyndi Moore‘s grandfather, a girl whom sang in the choir with me, but until that year I had never met before.
I was in such shock. I was numb. My Santa Claus was just someone's grandfather. I looked and I stared. I could not believe what I was seeing. But then the humor of situation took over inside of my head. "Really, Stacey? Did you really think that your Santa wasn’t a real person?”.
You might have thought that seeing this person, that I really believed was Santa Claus, as just a person‘s grandfather, would have broken my heart. But I did not feel heartache, I felt joy. I was so amazed at the lengths Mr. Portz had gone to really get to know each and every child that sat on his lap.
Mr. Portz, my Santa Claus, gave me words of encouragement, words that inspired me, and I was a witness to the genuine love he gave of himself to the children he encountered.
But at this moment, when I now saw him as just a man, I realized that this giving of himself was not an act. Mr. Portz had not just been kind because he played the role of Santa Claus, it was because he really was a kind human being. My Santa Claus had given me and everyone he met the gift of knowing that Christmas is more than just a man in a red suit, but the very act of giving of one’s self to his fellow man.
I hope you can see the point of writing this story was not to tell you that there was no such thing as Santa Claus, because I can’t do that. I was there, I met him.
To quote “Miracles On 34th Street”, “Faith is believing in something even if common sense tell you not to.”.
During this time of year we see people struggling to make ends meet, wondering what Christmas is all about because all they feel is pain. I believe that my Santa Claus, Mr. Portz, showed us that we truly can give of ourselves and help our fellow man. Maybe reaching out to someone else, being unselfish, is the true holiday gift.
So now I have told you my tale and it is a gift from me to you. I would also like to share a poem with you, that further says what I hope my story has done, to show you that you are the light in God eye. And that twinkle can be seen in the eye of your neighbor, your friend, a stranger, or even My Santa Claus, Mr. John Portz . You only have to believe and have faith even when common sense tell you not too.
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Santa Claus is every Where! |
HERE IS A CHRISTMAS BLESSING, JUST FOR YOU: -
May you be blessed
with all things good.
May your joys, like the stars at night,
be too numerous to count.
May your victories be more abundant
than all the grains of sand
on all the beaches
on all the oceans
in all the world.
May lack and struggle be always
absent from your life
and may beauty order and abundance
be your constant companions.
May every pathway you choose
lead to that which is pure and good and lovely.
May every doubt and fear
be replaced by a deep abiding trust
as you behold evidence of a Higher Power
all around you.
And when there is only darkness
and the storms of life are closing in
May the light at the core of your being
illuminate the world.
May you always be aware you are loved beyond measure
and may you be willing to love unconditionally in return.
May you always feel protected and cradled
in the arms of God,
like the cherished child you are.
And when you are tempted to judge
may you be reminded that we are all ONE
and that every thought you think
reverberates across the universe,
touching everyone and everything.
And when you are tempted to hold back,
may you remember that love flows best when
it flows freely
and it is in giving that we receive
the greatest gift.
May you always have music and laughter
and may a rainbow follow every storm
May gladness wash away every disappointment
may joy dissolve every sorrow
and my love ease every pain.
May every wound bring wisdom
and every trial bring triumph
and with each passing day
may you live more abundantly than the day before.
May you be blessed
And may others be blessed by you.
This is my heartfelt wish for you.
May you be blessed.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS to EACH and EVERY ONE of YOU
With many loving thoughts and healing blessings
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Sierra Gardens
School Choir |
I would like to thank Cyndi More, Sandy Broyle, Janet Broyles, and Sarah Royer for help with this blog. I also thank friend Geoffrey for his wonderful poem
Blessings to all! Love and Light!