Dear Joe:

Well, my first reaction is that the school has no right to usurp the parents on this issue. Such things are a parental decision, not a school decision.

There are many fundamentalist who actually think Santa Claus is evil. They will assert that if you rearrange the letters in the word "Santa", if will spell "Satan". The ignorance of fundamentalist always amazes me.

While these dingalings make this assertion about "Santa" Claus, they usually skip the assertion with cities, such as Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe in Spanish means, Holy Faith), or Santa Cruz, California (Santa Cruz in Spanish means Holy Cross).

Claus is short for Nicholas. Thus the meaning of Santa Claus is "Saint Nicholas", who is a real person, St. Nicholas of Myra. So, yes, Santa Claus is real.

As for the present day myth of Santa Claus, like all myths there is a story to be told, a lesson to be learned and enjoyed. Santa Claus is the personification of the Spirit of Christmas, which is Christ who said we are to love God and our neighbor.

There is nothing wrong with myths. People think myths are fiction. Not so. Myths usually have a bit of literal facts to it, and a bit of fiction to enhance the story to make it more remembered. Modern day myths are called "docudramas" or movies "inspired by a true story."

There are religious myths in the Bible. The point of biblical myths is to reveal religious truths, not to give scientific, geographical, or historical facts, although those things may be part of the myth. We must remember in this age where everything is recorded, back in the days predating the Bible, before the stories that were written down into what we call the Bible today, these biblical stories were passed on by word of mouth. Couching stories, histories, and religious truths in mythological language better ensured that they would be remembered and passed on from generation to generation.

For children, myths are part of their everyday existence. The imaginary worlds, created part from the environment around them and the experiences they have had or have observed, and their imagination, is the creation of a myth.

Myths are important to the human soul.

So concerning Santa Claus I think we should tell our children the story of the real St. Nicholas, and the spirit of St. Nicholas that lives on today in Santa Claus. Teach the kids the real meaning of Christmas, for which Santa represents -- a spirit of love, charity, compassion, giving, etc. De-commercialize Santa Claus and talk about what the spirit of Christmas really means on a level appropriate to the age of the child.

The Church teaches that we are to tell the truth about things, but that there are times when the whole truth need not be revealed, or the truth can be couched in a way to help a person understand the fundamental meanings of things. God uses myth in this way, so why cannot we?

For example, one can tell the truth about Santa Claus without the abrupt "Santa does not exist." First off, Santa does exist and is alive today in heaven. Second, the spirit of Santa exists in the lives of the parents. Third, the image of Santa is a personification of that spirit.

Thus, we could answer the question, "does Santa really bring us presents?" with "yes, those presents come from the love the Santa has for you."

With that said, there is no problem, in my view, of allowing children to enjoy the myth to its fullest, with the Reindeer and sleigh flying around the world on Christmas Eve, landing on housetops, the ride down the chimmy, and the rest as long as we teach them the true meaning of Christmas -- which is not gimmy-gimmy-gimmy commercialism. Even young children, as interested in their own toys as they are, can be taught the spirit and the act of giving.

By the way, if one wishes most of elements of the traditional story of Santa can be interpreted religiously. For a few examples from the top of my head: the North Pole represents heaven, all the snow at the North Pole represents heaven surrounded by the pure love of God; Santa's laugh represents joy; his red suit recalls the Passion of Christ, the white fur trim recalls the warmth of purity to which the blood of Jesus makes us, coming down the chimney images the Spirit of Christmas coming down from heaven; the cookies left for Santa images the Eucharist, the sleigh and reindeer flying images Angels on their mission; the eight reindeer plus Rudolph can represent the nine choir of angels; the landing on the roof can represent the Spirit of Christmas anointing our home, etc.

I would say, "Son/Daughter, some people will say that Santa does not exist, but they are wrong. Santa does exist in heaven and in our hearts. It is the love of Santa and Jesus that brings you gifts so that you may have joy, and to which you give to others so they may have joy...."

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary