Dearest Maria Agnese and Margherita,
I hope you liked the presents you found under the tree and that you can forgive me for not bringing exactly what you asked for. Don’t get me wrong—I truly enjoyed reading your letters! But I must say, I’m not sure a 1.4-meter unicorn would be much use in your games, and it seems to me that your home (thankfully!) already has everything you need for a wonderful ‘hairdresser’ experience. Didn’t you just buy some hair clips yesterday at the market in Vicoli?
Sometimes, when I read the letters from children all over the world, I get the feeling that the main goal of this night is to put me to the test—to see if I can truly grant every wish, bring every gift, and, ultimately… prove that I exist. If I’m not mistaken, just last night Margherita, as you were talking to each other before falling asleep, said: ‘If he doesn’t bring us what we asked for, it means he doesn’t exist.’ And Maria Agnese replied, ‘Well, I still think he exists.’ It was heartwarming to listen to you. It made me think of the little girls you once were, and I caught a glimpse of the young women you’re becoming.
Allow me to respond to what you said: If you had found the unicorn and the hairdresser set this morning, would you truly have been certain that I exist? And wouldn’t you have tested me again next year with even more peculiar and demanding requests?
Let me share something with you: Many people think of me, Father Christmas, as some sort of jolly genie who, year after year, fulfills the wildest whims of children of all ages (and believe me, many of them already have white hair!). They call these whims ‘wishes’ without understanding that a true wish is something infinitely deeper.
And that’s what truly interests me: your ability to wish, to hope, and to wait. I want you to look into your hearts and learn to discern what you want from what is useful to you, and from what is truly necessary.
Some people (and they’re the ones who make me laugh and sigh the most) believe they get presents at Christmas because they’ve ‘been good all year.’ By Blitzen’s hooves! When I heard this said—just a few days ago, even in a church—I nearly cried from laughter and sorrow all at once! If my gifts were based on your goodness, my job would be easier than a delivery driver’s, and I’d finish my rounds in just a few stops! Instead, I travel the whole world because Christmas itself, the birth of Jesus, is the one gift everyone needs but no one could ever deserve.
It’s true that Jesus makes us capable of becoming truly good, but the gifts we exchange are meant to celebrate that first Gift, given when no one deserved anything but eternal separation. Don’t you remember the warmth you felt when you gave to those in need? Think of the girl to whom you gave some of your belongings, who later came back to you with chocolates, despite her poverty. Or the man, half-drunk and lying in front of the church, to whom you gave a sandwich that evening. Do you remember how he thanked and blessed you? His tongue loosened, and he found his words again! That man hadn’t spoken to anyone for quite some time. Both he and the girl—and many others—will think of you this morning and of what you did for them. That’s why Jesus said, ‘Give to those who cannot repay you, and you will have treasure in heaven,’ and, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Believe me, many of the things you think you want (and sometimes get fixated on) would bore you before you know it… and you’ve already experienced this so many times.
Now let’s talk about me, Father Christmas—who some say is the heart of Christmas (poor Christmas, if that were true). Do I exist or not? First of all, let me tell you that I am not that jovial fellow in Coca-Cola colors you see everywhere from early November. I’m not like the Santa in movies and cartoons played on TV non-stop these days. I don’t even have a workshop like the one described in songs by Miss Rachel and many others (though I must admit, it sounds quite charming). If you ever visit Lapland, you might find houses pretending to be mine, but they’re not. And if you venture to the North Pole, you’ll meet arctic foxes, seals, walruses, polar bears, and even meteorologists—but not my home.
I’m very different from what you often imagine, but I assure you, in any other form, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. I’m a bit more like the spirits of Christmas from Dickens’ famous A Christmas Carol (which you mostly know through a cartoon version). But the people who resemble me the most are the saints—those who, like Jesus as an adult, had the deepest love and care for children.
We’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet and get to know each other better; we don’t need to say everything today. For now, I wish you joy in these blessed days with your family, of which you are such an important part. Share with everyone the joy of the First and Greatest Gift of Christmas—Baby Jesus, born as everyone’s brother to make us all brothers and sisters.
Merry Christmas!
Di’ cosa ne pensi