Evening star., 1939-12-17
Boy Makes Cellar Into Indian Village With Realistic Woodland Setting
Just
Between
Ourselves
BY PHILIP H. LOVE,

Junior Star Editor.
What I can't understand" q lit
tie girl said to me the other day
"is how Santa Claus can be in &c
many different places at the same
time. Three girls in my class went
shopping yesterday. All three told
me today that they had seen Santa
yet they all went to different de-
partment stores. They must have
seen him at about the same time
too, because they all went down.
town right after school,"
And what you want to know is
which one saw the real Santa?"
asked.
Yes" the girl answered. THAT
and how he could be in all three
stores at the same time"
We'll, they all saw the real
Santa" I said. You see, he isn't
an ordinary man. In fact, he isn't
a man at all; he's a spirit"
You mean-a ghost?"
mo, not ghost. There are nc
such things as ghosts. A spirit
is-well, God is a spirit. You've
never seen God, have your"
Santa Is Everywhere.
mo, but understand about Him
being a spirit. He's everywhere, even
though you can't see Him"
well, Santa is everywhere, too
OF course, he isn't anything like
God, but he's a spirit, just the
same-a happy, kindly spirit, who
shows himself everywhere during
the Christmas season. He can be
right here in this room, or down
the street, or even in another part
OF the world, all at the same time
He can be wherever he wants te
be, and he wants to be whereve,
people want him to be-wherever
people have the real Christmas
spirit"
The girl thought the matter owe,
for a few moments. II can un.
derstand all that" she finally said
Its just like when I sit down in
my room and make believe I'm
somewhere else-you know, Just sort
OF day-dreaming. Sometimes pre-
tend I'm in or, or in Wonderland
and If I think real hard, it's al
most the same as if were really
IN one OF those places. Only with
Santa, I guess he can be any place
at all without thinking very much
about it. Is that it?"
That's it, all right" agreed
Except that Santa has to be want
ed. He never goes where he isn't
wanted. When people allow them
selves to become mean and selfish.
when they stop thinking about
Santa, stop loving him and wish
Ing tor him to come-then ne doesn't
come any more"
Looks Different.
IT'S wonderful, isn't it?" she
laughed. Il mean that he can 20
everywhere at the same time. lust
by thinking-just by knowing that
he's wanted But" the laugh
was replaced by a puzzled frown-
why is it that he doesn't always
look exactly the same? I've seen
him twice this year, in two different
stores. and he looked a little differ
ent each time"
DO you always look exactly the
same?" For that matter, do you
always even feel the same?"
We'll. no, I don't she admitted
slowly. Some days I feel happy
and full of pep, and I guess I look
the same way, and other days I feel
and look altogether different
Everybody does-santa, perhaps,
more than anybody else, because,
you know, he's spirit. He's some
thing like the air we breathe. It's
the same air all over the world. but
IN some places it's cold and in others
hot, in some places dry, in others
wet, IN some places calm, in others
gusty. A spirit can appear in thou
sands, even millions, of places at the
same time and be a little different
in each place. AS a matter of fact.
Santa Claus always looks the same,
because he is the same; it's the peo-
pie to whom he appears that are
diderent-because, as a spirit, he
naturally reflects some of their
spirit, too"
"Gee!" the girl exclaimed. clap
ping her hands. Wait till tell my
girl friends!"