Writing Samples

Keeping spirit of giving alive year round job
By Kevin Dowler Times Herald Staff Writer

A man who only goes public once a year in Moose Jaw, and the rest of the world, tries to make his spirit felt all year long.

Santa Claus, also known as St. Nicholas or Pere Noel, only has one night a year to keep the spirit of giving alive.

“It’s a lot of work keeping the elves out of mischief long enough to get enough toys made for Christmas,” Claus said.

He spends the rest of his time going undercover, spying out just about everyone when they do their best or their worst.

“I hate to think of people doing good only to make me happy or to get an Nintendo or something like at, but I got to keep up my list of who’s naughty or nice somehow,” he said.
During his off time he has masqueraded as everything from an ice cream vendor to a truck driver.

“My favorite story was one time when I was working as a watch repairman and a guy brought in a Buck Rogers watch that had come from my own toy shop,” he said. “I almost gave myself away with one of my hearty Ho, Ho’s but the guy was so concerned about his watch that he got for Christmas in 1946 that he didn’t notice.

“I remembered his name and how he had got the watch because of his being a good big brother, looking after his little sister even when she did cry all the time. He had a great letter that I still have on file,” Claus said.

Even with all the paperwork and the new Elve unions sprouting up, Claus remains dedicated to his cause.

“What I want is people to give all year long not just at Christmas time,” he said. “When I go out handing out my gifts it is an example for everyone to follow the whole year through, not just during Christmas."
Giving, he said, doesn’t mean gifts of toys or matching sets of tube socks but means goodwill and kindness.

“Hey, giving out a smile is all I ask. Offering kindness and friendship beats any kind of material present Elves could ever make. Except maybe for the toy trains we had in 1962 but that’s about it,” he said.
Although he gets frustrated at the cynicism Christmas gets because of the commercialism that seems to grow along with it, he doesn’t fret.

It’s up to individuals to see behind the commercialism, he said.

“Sure there are other guys out there trying to latch on to my Christmas idea but basically they have the same idea as me - to make gifts for kids - only they are trying to put something back into their own pocket,” he said.

Commercialism is a side effect of so much giving.

People should not get caught up in the glitz of Christmas, Claus says.

“No matter what kind of products the other guys are pushing, the idea behind it all is that you are buying it to give to someone, and that’s what I want people to understand.”
People need to give as much as they need to recieve. What Claus wants people to realize is that both are important at Christmas.

“Hey, sure it feels good to give away a great big, blazing red firetruck, but you have to admit, it also feels pretty dam good to get a great big, blazing red, firetruck,” Claus said.

In his one night tour of the world’s rooftops, he said, one of the biggest problems is people who decide to have a Christmas Eve fire.

“I’ve had my whole schedules thrown off by folks not having the sense to put their fires out for one night of the year. I always seem to make up the time somewhere else. Even though the milk and cookie breaks also cut into my time more and more these days,” he said.

The consideration of some people forgetting to leave a cool fire hearth to ease his chimney entry has a lot to do with courtesy.

“By trying to check all the toys on a list off while also trying to make all the stops I have to make in one night is a big job and the little courtesies at each home makes it easier for me to visit other boys’ and girls’ homes,” Claus said.

Even if this is the first year a boy or a girl decides to give a little more than usual and be even more courteous than usual, Claus says, that is their first step to keeping up their Christmas spirits all year long.