Father Christmas
THE MAGIC OF FATHER CHRISTMAS ( an artistes' perspective)
A few years ago, I was working at a very big shopping center with my magic show when I became aware that the centre's Father Christmas was a car guard who had been hired for the job. To add insult to injury, they had two hour shifts, where other car guards were used. Their Father Christmas suits were cheap and nasty, and not particularly clean. I myself have been hired to do Father Christmas, and these are some of the questions I was asked: "Father Christmas, Will you bring my little sister back?" On questioning the child further, I discovered that the sister had passed away through illness. My only answer to the child was "she is fine, and one day you will be able to play with her again". I based this answer on a slightly religious level.
WHAT WOULD THE CAR GUARD HAVE SAID??? "Father Christmas, will you ask my Daddy to come home?" Again on questioning the child, I discovered the parents were divorced. WHAT WOULD THE CAR GUARD HAVE SAID??? Would he have said "yes" for the child to run to the Christmas tree the next morning to find her Father NOT there, and be further psychologically traumatized!!!!????30% of the questions I was asked by children were of a heart rending nature – so much so, that I refused to do Father Christmas any more. Many years back, when the CBD was in Johannesburg, and you had major stores such as John Orr's, Anstey's, Greatmans, O.K. Bazaars, all on top of one another, the competition between the stores was huge, and it was a case of who could put on the best magical Father Christmas display. Some of the stores even employed varsity students studying child psychology to handle the above difficult situations. Today, there is no such competition at shopping centers – simply any person will do – and the cheaper the better !! They know that innocent children expect to see Father Christmas, so they provide one – with no consideration given to the capability or otherwise of the person employed !!
REMEDY : Look around at the various shopping centers, and look for a decent looking Father Christmas, without any of the commercial trappings (such as "Have a photo taken with Father Christmas!"), and tell your child that that is the REAL Father Christmas, and if your child asks about the other Santa Claus' he/she may see, tell them that those are only play, play, which now puts a little bit of the magic back into Father Christmas. I did some research on the origins of Father Christmas, and through the help of a priest, Father Dominique, found that Father Christmas originated in the 4th Century in Lycia , Turkey – he was Bishop Myra. He was particularly caring of children in need, and was known to give them gifts – so much so, that in the 10th Century six hundred years later, he was canonized by the Pope and named St Nicholaus. This happened on the 6th December as in Europe, some areas of Germany and Holland celebrate the giving of presents on the 6th and they refer to Father Christmas as "Sanctaklaus". The 25th December remains as a religious day. So over the ages the two dates became one, hence the tradition of Christmas Day. So one can safely say to your child that there was and is still a real Father Christmas – the spirit of giving !
Always when you take your child to see Father Christmas, take careful note of what he or she is asking for, so that you can fulfil their magical dreams. Also, bring back the old tradition of a white pillowslip to be hung at the foot of the child's bed so that Father Christmas can fill it with presents – all you have to do is have a duplicate pillowslip already filled with presents, and switch the two when your child is asleep, so that when your child wakes up, Father Christmas has been! The look of wonderment and joy on your child's face will be a lifetime memory! Another nice old tradition is to put a glass of milk and some biscuits out in the dining room or kitchen, telling your child it is for Father Christmas. Drink about three quarters of the milk, and leave one biscuit with a bite mark out of it, taking away the rest, creating the illusion for your child that Father Christmas was in a big hurry, and only drank some of the milk, and left a biscuit behind.
Another good idea, instead of relying totally on the cheap looking and gaudy Christmas decorations available these days, get your child involved with helping you make a Father Christmas candle holder. Here you need one green wine bottle, some white wood glue, glitter, a nice red candle, and some plastic holly leaves. Paint the top half of the bottle liberally with the white wood glue – stand the bottle upright and let the glue run down – then sprinkle liberally with the glitter and let it dry in the sun. Once done, decorate the top of the bottle with the holly leaves, glueing them into place, insert the red candle,(you may have to shape the one end to have it fit in the bottle – use a sharp knife – get hubby to help you on this one !) and here you have a rather nice home made Christmas decoration that you and your child have made. Burn the candle from about the 20th December every night, telling your child that Father Christmas is going to use it on Christmas night to walk through the house so he can see where he is going.
Christmas Lunch : When the Christmas pudding is served, try the old tradition of inserting washed coins into the pudding servings, making sure that your children each get one. I'd suggest a R5 coin as it is nice and big, and hide it deep inside the serving, telling the children that Father Christmas' elves put them in. (Make sure that Dad also gets one ! – it makes it more realistic and fun for the kids). There are many old Christmas traditions that have fallen by the wayside over the years due to the commercialism of Christmas. These are actually so much fun, and will bring joy to your heart when you see how your children react to something new and innocent that they may never have encountered before. Try all of the above, and do a little research of your own if you want to, and develop your own family traditions, remembering to make Father Christmas more magical for your child!
