During a renovation project in Dublin in 1992, homeowner John Byrne came across a letter stuck in the chimney dated Christmas Eve 1911. It was written by Hannah Howard who as a 10-year old girl penned a letter to Santa. Amongst the wishes of young Hannah in 1911 was a baby doll, pair of gloves, toffee apple and a gold penny.
What tops the list of 10-year old girls in 2013? According to one consumer group it is items such as an electric scooter, LCD writing tablet, digital makeup mirror and fashion design portfolio. Yes, the lists represent a century of change but at its heart it is still the wishes of children.
I read an interview with a man recounting his 28-years as a department store Santa Claus. He recalled amusing and not-so-amusing incidents that all store Santas encounter at some point; having been thrown up on, having his beard snapped, and seeing countless youngsters burst into tears once they got face to face with him.
In addition to the expected wishes for toys, this Santa recalled some of the more heartbreaking moments as he sat in the big chair chair, wishes that were more often than not whispered in his ear: that mommy and daddy would love each other again, a request for help for a younger brother diagnosed with leukemia, and time and time again the child of military personnel asking that Santa bring a parent home for Christmas. He noted that in the last few years he was terribly saddened as he heard requests to keep terrorists away, to make people stop shooting each other, and to bring enough food to school so everyone could have lunch. Such grown-up thoughts whispered by innocent children.
In 1990 David Foster and Linda Thompson-Jenner wrote "Grown-Up Christmas List". It has since been recorded by more than 35 artists in places such as Â鶹ÊÓƵ Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Mexico. The lyrics express the thoughts of an adult who would set aside all the pretty packages and bows and wish that no wars would start and no more lives be torn apart. Clearly these are not just grown-up wishes but also the thoughts of children whose eyes have seen images and ears have heard sounds that have forced them to try and understand violence, hunger, and international turmoil. Not what we would want for the little ones among us but perhaps enough to give us hearts to make these wishes come true.
It already has. Look at what happened last week.
In response to a nation-wide effort, a container of tens of thousands of sweaters is being delivered to Za'atari, a refugee camp in Jordan to help Syrian refugees face a harsh winter.
In the United Kingdom a group of knitters delivered boxes of coats and bonnets for premature babies, and blankets for the elderly.
In a small Saskatchewan community people baked and bid on cakes to help raise funds for a family in a battle against cancer.
A trickle of hope against a tidal wave of pain, to be sure. Butwhen that trickle combines with efforts from other corners, communities and countries, the trickles become streams, streams become rivers and rivers spill their banks into an ocean of aid and optimism.
Because these, and thousands of efforts like them, have gone on for yearsfor generationsand they will continue to do so. Take a look at the young people around us. They volunteer for service projects, pay to wear hats to school as a fundraiser, run bake sales, and collect food for the food bank. They learned this by watching the behaviour that was modelled for them and being encouraged to know that what they do matters. Every effort we make not only impacts someone's life today but provides an example for young eyes for the future.
A little girl was taken by her parents to visit Santa. As she settled herself on his knee Santa asked what she would like for Christmas. The little girl was aghast. Her mouth dropped open and with wide eyes gasped, "Didn't you get my email?"
Will the world continue to get our message? Will we continue to demonstrate that we care? Without a doubt we will. With every meal, present, jacket, shelter and inoculation the message will be delivered that our wishes, and those of our children, will mean something beyond ourselves. We can all make this part of our grown-up Christmas list because putting another drop in the trickle will feel far more satisfying than putting another trinket in the stocking. That's my outlook.
