Do you hear the laughter of Santa?

To rephrase that, do you still believe in Santa? That's the question I tell myself everytime Christmas comes around. Don't panic. I still do. And why you ask? Simple. Being happy. With the busy, hustle & bustle of our everyday lives, we don't think of Christmas as a season of joy. Everytime the season goes near, we rush to the malls and think:

"Sino ba ang inaanak ko?"

"Pag di ko binigyan ng gift yun eh siguradong sasama ang loob nun."

"Hay naku. Ubos na naman ang bonus ko sa mga Christmas gifts."

"Dapat bigyan ko siya ng mamahalin na gift. Baka bigyan niya ako ng Lacoste?"

"Saan ko kaya mabili tong wish list niya? Hirap pa naman ng parking."

"Ba't ko naman bibigyan siya ng gift. War kami ngayon!"

"Wow ang cute nito. Magkano po? Ha? Mahal naman. Sino kayang bibigyan ko nito?"

"Wow bad trip. Over the limit na yung credit card ko!"

"Grabe. Gusto nya yung mamahalin. Wala naman sa budget ko to."

"Dito tayo sa sale. Wow, ang haba naman ng pila."

And that's what people do. Busying themselves buying and complaining. Is this the essence of Christmas? We as Godparents have to guide and see to it that our Godchildren are growing and living the Christian life. But what do we do? Sad to say, we forget this and simply give gifts at Christmas time. We also get sad when we don't receive a gift. But why? Are the gifts the only things that makes us happy at Christmas time?

What about Santa? What's so corny about Santa? Santa touched our lives when we were little. That's what dreams are made of. And our children. Why do we have to make them believe there's a Santa Claus? Because Santa creates Magic. Santa gives them Hope. Santa fulfills their Dreams.

I still tell my children that Santa is watching them. They still wait for Santa to fill their Christmas stockings. And when my children talk about Santa, you can see it in their eyes the glow, the radiance, the magic that Santa creates. Santa is a symbol of happiness. Santa is a symbol of hope. Santa is a symbol of dreams.

Now do you hear the laughter of Santa?