SECRET KIDS TELL SANTA

Many years after returning home from Vietnam, I was given the opportunity to play Santa Claus and felt it was something I might really enjoy. As it turned out, being Santa was probably the best job I ever had. While some children were skeptical that I really was Santa, most of them embraced the magic of the season and were happy to sit on my knee and tell me exactly what they wanted for Christmas. Many had questions for Santa—inquiring about his beard, boots, or bag of toys—and still others wanted to know about his home at the North Pole and hear stories about his famous reindeer. Others were more serious and asked Santa for help with their personal problems at home. It wasn’t long before I realized that being Santa required more than simply a red suit and a fake beard. I had to study up on his background and history, learn all I could about the North Pole, and even research reindeer, specifically the nine that belong to Santa. But I also need to know how to help kids who want to solve their problems at home.

 For fifteen years, I listened to wishes shared by children of all ages—from toddlers to tottering oldsters. I found that playing Santa, really listening to the dreams, desires, and occasional confessions of so many wide-eyed youngsters, and sharing the love I had locked away for so many years, filled my heart in a way that I hadn’t experienced since my visits to the orphanage in Mỹ Tho, Vietnam. It was while sitting there on my Santa chair, beside a tree decorated with garlands and glass bulbs, that I rediscovered a part of myself I thought I had left behind in Vietnam. Channeling Santa for those many years enabled me to experience the magic of the holiday season and helped heal the wounds that had been festering since my discharge from the Army.

 This book contains many stories, some funny and some sad. There were times when I felt like I was a counselor. This book is a good read for both children and adults. You may learn something.