After being inundated this year with stories that undermine my faith in humanity, I was delighted to meet Santa Claus from the North Pole in your headline story. I love that Santa Claus found his real purpose even late in life. In our world that has been turned upside down, I hope that many of us have been able to recommit, during this quiet time, to goals that are worthy of the mystery of our existence.
One of my best friends is a 43-year-old woman with Down syndrome who still believes in Santa Claus. In many ways, she’s my teacher, because she has a pure heart and is completely honest and amazingly sensitive (and also very wise). Your story helps me want to believe that there really is a Santa Claus — again. The real Christmas is about the pureness and innocence of a child (maybe also the children still alive in our own hearts), not about a pile of disposable gifts.
Thanks, ADN and Santa Claus, for making my day more hopeful. Merry Christmas!
— Doug Frank
Anchorage
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