Post-Christmas: What Can We Learn From Santa Claus?

Now that the “Holiday Season” for 2011 has past, I think it would be prudent to reflect and learn from the skills of a fictitious character that was hopefully good to everyone reading the Deacon’s Corner.  The person to whom I am referring is Santa Clause.  This jolly, old man for as long as we can remember, has been near-perfect in achieving his task.  We can learn a great deal from him as we begin to look at the challenges for 2012.  You might say, “What can I learn?”

1.     Build a wonderful “workshop.”  A workshop without a good MISSION and VISION, no matter who is in charge or how many “elves” Santa has helping him, is destined for failure.  Let’s look at the following.  Mission: Pilgrim Church – our workshop – is a welcoming Christian community dedicated to the spiritual growth and service to others through God’s love.  That’s a good start, but what about the workshop’s vision?   Vision: To realize and fulfill the possibilities of God’s infinite love in a thriving faith community.  These are inspiring words, however when Santa gets busy he may take his mind off the target, and it could be easy for him to lose sight of his objectives; spiritual growth, service to others, infinite love.  I’m sure Santa Clause would re-visit his mission and vision annually, and would recommend that elves do this in their own workshop.

2.     Focus on the people in the workshop.  When Santa is at church and the children – I mean the littlest elves – are making their way to Sunday school, I’m sure he looks around and to see all the happy, caring, and resourceful elves and asks himself this question.  “In 2011 what did I do for my fellow elves; remembering that all of us are elves in the workshop?  Did I fairly distribute the workload?  Did I listen to everyone in need of help?  Did I demonstrate respect toward my fellow elves?  Did I help in the development of the littlest elves?  That would be a great start in any workshop for next season.

3.     Get Beyond the “Red Wagons”.  The red wagon used to be the most important “toy” in Santa’s workshop, but that’s not true anymore.  It would be prudent to remember the saying, “the only thing that is constant in life is CHANGE.”  That’s true for Santa, Pilgrim Church, as well as your own personal workshop.  Remember that change may not happen overnight in the workshop and it’s important to remember two things.  1. Be respectful for work previously done; compliment the elves for past accomplishments.  2. Be patient and understanding.  With understanding, you’ll see more smiling faces on the elves when the next version of the red wagon appears in the workshop.

4.     Share the milk and cookies.  When someone gives Santa a compliment for another great season, I’m sure he remembers all the “reindeer” on cold rooftops who are trying to catch their breath.  When he gets a pat-on-the-back for yet another successful world-wide trip, I’m sure he remembers all the elves that don’t get out that often, without whom he would not be receiving the compliments.

It’s not easy being Santa Clause and if we are going to emulate him, remember the job takes a great deal of work!  As we begin another year in the workshop, be mindful of your vision, the elves, the changes, and of course, …always share the milk and cookies.

Paul Renfrew for the Diaconate