Hi Everybody,

Santa here again. You know, I've been thinking about something for a few days now, while the Present Inspection is underway and things are craziest here at the Pole. I haven't talked about it since I began this blog, back in October, but here goes.

Everybody knows I'm famous for bringing presents to people, and that's fine with me! I'm good at it -- got the best technology and top-notch elf and reindeer teams helping me. I'm happy to be known for that.

But I want to gently remind everyone that presents are only a small part of what Christmas is really about. Christmas (and Hanukkah, and Ramadan, and Kwanzaa, and all the other holidays folks celebrate this time of year) is also about taking a moment (or a few days, actually!) to notice the good things about our lives: our families and friends, our health, the mystery and beauty of nature, and of just being alive.

Everybody loves presents, but if you think about it, the "things" you have -- things bought in a store or online -- are really only a small part of what makes you happy. (Remember how the Grinch noticed how "...Christmas doesn't come from a store..."?)

Many, many years ago, the world's first people noticed how the days this time of year were getting shorter, and they did the same thing: stopped what they were doing and got together to acknowledge how incredible it was that they were alive and that the Earth was moving through its cycles. Noticing that -- just that -- was the only present they needed. (All this stuff has a basis in astronomy. The Earth's shift, when days in the Northern Hemisphere start getting longer again, is called Winter Solstice.)

What got me thinking about all this was a letter I got the other day from a little girl who said she didn't want any presents this year. She had enough things, she said, so instead, she asked me to give any presents I had picked out for her to other kids who didn't have as much. How cool is that? That's the other side of all this -- many people discover that giving things to others actually makes them feel better than getting things themselves!

Tonight, in honor of Winter Solstice, the Arctic foxes lead a magical, candle-lit parade of all the animals, an event filled with beautiful singing and music. It doesn't cost anyone anything to take part, and its sole purpose is to acknowledge the beauty of community and the mystery of nature this time of year. It's a gift from the animals, and it's one of my favorite events.

Don't get me wrong -- presents are wonderful. But on a night like this, I'm reminded that there are other things to be thankful for. And, like the little girl who wrote, I'm reminded too that sometimes giving something to others is the best gift of all.

Love,

Santa