Do you Believe in Santa?

As Santa, there's one question that always weighs heavily on my heart. It's a question that seems simple but carries so much weight: Do you believe in Santa Claus? For me, the answer is obvious—I live and breathe the magic every day.

It's easy to ask this question to toddlers, adolescents, and pre-teens. They still possess the boundless imagination that keeps this magic alive.

When it comes to teenagers, the responses change. We encounter three types of answers. There are the gleeful "Of course, I believe in Santa," which always warms my heart.

Then you might get the polite "No, I don't believe in Santa," which I still respect.

It's the third response that stings—the disdainful "No! Who believes in Santa? It's all fake, the stories are lies. My parents buy the gifts. Believing in Santa is stupid." These words are like daggers, turning once joyful believers into cynics.

As these teenagers grow... it's the unbelieving that spreads like wildfire. One kid stops believing, then tells their friends and their brothers and sisters. Before long, the magic dims for many of these older kids. It becomes...you know... Uncool to Believe. This is deeply depressing for me because I've cherished delivering gifts to all of these kids, watching all of their highlight's year after year, seeing the joy and wonder in their eyes. Yet, they stop believing... and they fall off my list.

It's not about being naughty or nice anymore—if you don't believe, you not on the list.

Here's where the story takes an interesting turn. Those same kids that stopped believing in Christmas, they grow up, get jobs and find spouses... But then, something magical happens. They start their a family and have children of their own. And Suddenly... Thier belief in Santa is back. I'm back in their homes. They believe again, sharing the wonder of Santa with their children, talking about my elves and reindeer, and even now hosting elves on shelves throughout December.

I guess having kids... can reignite one's own imagination. They realize what they were missing, and they need their children to dream big dreams and perhaps... believe in the impossible as they once did.

Now I know, I understand... that if you ask a stranger on the street if they believe in Santa, they may look at you like you're crazy. It's obvious to them that Santa isn't real, that this dude doesn't exist.

So that's part of the problem, times are changing... we're not marketing Christmas right. I know I can do more than just check the list and make deliveries. That's why I started telling these stories. Here at the North Pole we started a new operation, with a team of elves dedicated to rebranding our side of Christmas.

This goes against the grain, but no longer will we worry about needing people to believe in Santa, Christmas, and the North Pole. God has always been sufficient in providing for us.

I know that life today is full of challenges, It's full of hard times and treacherous waters.

The North Pole's new mission is to remind people... that we believe in them. We believe that people are good, because I have seen your hearts... when you were a child. The foundation of who you're supposed to be... has been there the entire time. It all starts in children's hearts.

So, here's a question for you. It's not one that can be answered collectively but must be answered individually: Do you believe in yourself?

And I think our new slogan will be... Santa Believes in You!