Evening star., 1947-12-21

Inc erpia nation OF tie true Christmas
spirit.)
What can't understand" little
girl said to me the other day, rs
how Santa Claus can be in so many
different places at the same time.
Three girls in my class went shop
ping yesterday. All three told mo
today that they had seen Santa, yet
they all went in different depart
ment stores. They must have seen
him at about the same time, too.
because they all went downtown
right after school"
"And what you want to know Is
which one saw the real Santa?" I
asked.
"Yes," the girl answered. That
and how he could be in all three
stores at the same time.
Santa Is . Spirit.
well, they all saw the real
Santa" said. "You see, he isn't an
ordinary man. In fact he isn't q
man at all; he's a spirit"
Ou UlSdll-d SllOSb:
mo, not q ghost. There are no
such things as ghosts. A spirit is
well, God Is q spirit. You've never
seen God, have you?"
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 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 to be and he
wants to be wherever people want
him to be-wherever people have the
real Christmas spirit"
Has to Be Wanted.
The girl thought the matter over
for a few moments. Il can UNDER
stand all that" she finally said.
TITS just like when I sit down in my
room and make believe I'm some
where else-you know, just sort OF
day-dreaming. Sometimes pretend
I'm In OF, or In Wonderland, and II
I think real hard it's almost the
same as If I 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
wanted. He never. goes where he
isn't wanted. When people allow
themselves to become mean and
selfish, when they stop thinking
about Santa, stop loving him and
wishing for him to come-then he
doesn't come any more"
Why He Looks Different.
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" she
laughed. II mean that he can 60
everywhere at the same time, just
by thinking-just by knowing that
he's wanted. But"-the laugh was
replaced by 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 little differ
ent each time
do you always look exactly the
same? For that matter. do you al
ways even feel the same?"
well, no, 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 q 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 q little diff
ferent in each place. As q matter
of fact, Santa Claus always looks
the same, because he Is the same:
it's the people to whom he appears
that are different-because, as .
spirit, he naturally reflects some Of
their spirit. too
"Gee!" the girl exclaimed. clap
ping her hands. Wait till tell my
girl friends!"