Opinion by MaggiePeklo

In fourth grade I had a crisis: my classmates told me Santa Claus didn’t exist and that my parents put presents under the Christmas tree. As a 10-year-old deeply passionate about Christmas and making sure everyone had a gift, I was crushed. I came home crying, and my mom reassured me that Santa Claus does, in fact, exist. I still believe Santa is real! 

I realize this sounds silly, but trust me. As the oldest of five, I will believe in Santa religiously for another eight years until my youngest sister has the same crisis I had. Santa is the epitome of Christmas, and without him, the Christmas spirit might as well not be there. If you have ever seen the movie “Elf,” you would know that Christmas spirit is vital to the existence of Santa and vice versa.

I mean, Buddy the elf really had a point when he said parents can’t bring that much joy all in one night! Whether or not you believe in the kind of Santa in the North Pole who double checks his “Naughty and Nice” list, the pure happiness on little kids’ faces when they open up a present is enough to know something is truly there.

If you really think about it, Santa is everywhere, especially during the Christmas season, whether you believe in him or not. Santa can be found in soup kitchens during the holidays giving the gift of a warm meal to families in need, or Santa can be found in the cancer ward at Children’s Hospital giving out stuffed animals to terminal patients. In fact, Santa can even be found in your own home if you look hard enough. The spirit in the air is just different around Christmas. 

Though some may say Santa keeps the materialism of Christmas alive, I would argue that is not the case. I believe Santa is simply the Christmas spirit that inspires us to give our time, money and love to others in need during the holiday season. Without the idea of someone handing out gifts to people who have nothing, the inspiration for us to do the same would be lacking. Santa may not be a physical person, but he’s the spirit that gives the gift that keeps on giving throughout the holidays. He inspires us to think about our loved ones and brings families closer together. 

Honestly, everyone has the capability of carrying on the tradition of Santa, whether you think your parents put out the presents or not. For me, though, I’ll keep believing.