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Mrs. Claus\u2019 eyes were full of tears by the time I arrived at the hospital. <\/p>\nMrs. Claus\u2019 eyes were full of tears by the time I arrived at the hospital. <\/p>\n
Santa<\/a> stood there stunned, as if hit with unbelievable news. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked. <\/p>\n Ryan had just hours to live. <\/p>\n Santa<\/a> and Mrs. Claus had met the boy just months previous but it was only within the past few days that things seriously took a decline and hope was lost. <\/p>\n These are the calls Santa<\/a> hates to take. <\/p>\n How do you present the hope and love<\/a> and brightness of Santa<\/a> Claus to a dying child?<\/p>\n \u201cWhy am I here?\u201d I asked, nearly sucking in my breath at the bad news they shared. \u201cHow can I help?\u201d<\/p>\n Santa<\/a> looked at me. <\/p>\n \u201cI need advice\u201d he said. \u201cWhat do I do? What do I say to him?\u201d<\/p>\n I was a little taken back. <\/p>\n I had now seen this man in several personal situations and had never seen him at a loss for words. <\/p>\n At times, I even felt he was inspired. <\/p>\n How could I possibly help him? What would I say to the boy if I was in his shoes?<\/p>\n I recalled something I had heard on Clausnet.com before. <\/p>\n \u201cJust be Santa<\/a>,\u201d I said. <\/p>\n That\u2019s it. <\/p>\n He nodded, as if the answer was the only thing acceptable in that moment. <\/p>\n As we entered Ryan\u2019s room Mrs. Claus clung to my left arm. As was so often the case, she would not be included in the conversation. <\/p>\n She would be a visible but silent participant, a supporting actress who rarely got the applause. In this scenario, she was grateful and I could feel it. <\/p>\n Santa<\/a> was recognizable to Ryan almost immediately. <\/p>\n He smiled weakly and barely lifted a hand from the sheets. His chest was bare, his feet uncovered, an air mask covered his small mouth and nose. Despite his illness he exuded the love<\/a>, brightness and purity of a child. <\/p>\n Ryan would die at just 8 years of age. <\/p>\n \u201cRyan,\u201d Santa<\/a> said. \u201cHow do you feel today?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOk,\u201d Ryan said, almost as if he believed it. <\/p>\n There was a long, silent pause. Not a lot of words could be thought of or were necessary. <\/p>\n Suddenly Mrs. Claus looked up. \u201cRyan,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to share a song with you. Would that be ok?\u201d He nodded yes and Mrs. Claus began to sing a song I had never heard, a song about where snowflakes go after Christmas<\/a>. <\/p>\n It was a hauntingly beautiful tune, yet bright and cheery. She eased from that tune into a song I am familiar with, \u201cI am a Child of God\u201d. <\/p>\n Ryan smiled at the familiar song. <\/p>\n The music erased the tension and freed Santa<\/a> from his justifiably enormous fears. <\/p>\n It was as if sunshine had broken through the clouds and things were basking in a golden glow. It was, quite clearly, a sacred moment. <\/p>\n As Mrs. Claus completed the song Santa<\/a> took a seat next to Ryan and held his hand. <\/p>\n This curious moment reminded me of a conversation Santa<\/a> and I had shared about Mrs. Claus months before:<\/p>\n \u201cShe didn\u2019t want anything to do with it at first,\u201d he said. \u201cThe idea of dressing up as an old lady really did not appeal to her. I had the toughest time convincing her she is an old lady!\u201d<\/p>\n Santa<\/a> explained that he isn\u2019t half as good when she is not with him. <\/p>\n Indeed, many times I\u2019ve watched them work as a team, communicating with eyes and nudges, one picking up the other in any given moment \u2013 just as with this moment in the hospital with Ryan. <\/p>\n The work with parents is nearly as magical as the experience with kids. <\/p>\n This is Mrs. Claus\u2019 expertise and Santa<\/a> is quick to credit her decades as a mother and grandmother for knowing just what parents want. <\/p>\n \u201cI once had a lady livid with me because I would not promise her daughter a certain thing for Christmas<\/a>. She told me in advance of meeting the little girl what she wanted me to say and normally I don\u2019t have a problem with that but in this instance I felt it was out of character for me and for Santa<\/a> Claus\u201d Santa<\/a> said. \u201cLong after that child was out of earshot that woman was giving me the business for not complying with her wishes. Mrs. Claus stepped in and saved my butt, telling the woman to use her heart to hear what I was saying was true. It never would have occurred to me to speak to her that way, my inclination was to give it right back to her. Mrs. Claus has the touch whenever I fumble and am at a loss or in danger of losing it.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Claus has talent beyond just the parents, of course. <\/p>\n Kids, especially little girls, are enchanted with the very idea of Mrs. Claus. <\/p>\n Her outfit is a flowing red velvet gown, very simple in design and very modestly adorned with subtle accents of white trim. \u201cI can\u2019t overshadow Santa<\/a>,\u201d she once told me. <\/p>\n \u201cI complement him. I complete him. But kids sometimes see Mrs. Claus as less imposing, someone who might answer questions they might not ask Santa<\/a>. I love<\/a> that!\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Claus also has a knack with babies and frightened toddlers. <\/p>\n Watching Santa<\/a> and Mrs. Claus work on that level is amazing. There is no hesitation to get down on hands and knees, though it sometimes is painful for them to do so. <\/p>\n \u201cFear is the opposite of faith,\u201d Mrs. Claus says. \u201cSanta is all about faith and believing. We can never have children frightened of Santa<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Santa<\/a> tells me he nearly gave up being Santa<\/a> after a few appearances. <\/p>\n But as Mrs. Claus came around and they worked to develop their rhythm, their technique, their \u201cstyle\u201d and their \u201cClausness\u201d, as they like to say, they found it fulfilling as a couple to serve in the capacity of Santa<\/a> and Mrs. Claus. <\/p>\n \u201cSanta has become such a secular figure that I can get away with teaching morals in the suit than I cannot when out of the suit,\u201d Santa<\/a> noted. \u201cIf I show up at a school and say <\/p>\n \u201cMerry Christmas<\/a>!\u201d during an event nobody thinks a thing about it because I\u2019m Santa<\/a> Claus. If I were saying those same words as Joe Citizen, I have to be more measured, more inclusive, more politically correct and all that other nonsense. It is ironic to me that Santa<\/a> was once a religious figure and isn\u2019t any more, yet he can be such a powerful influence for good.\u201d<\/p>\n Business and the stuff of life prevent Santa<\/a> and Mrs. Claus from most activities during the year, unless, of course, pressed in to duty by situations like Ryan\u2019s. <\/p>\n But when Santa<\/a> hangs up his suit after Christmas<\/a> he is content to let him rest until December rolls around again. <\/p>\n It is now how Santa<\/a> spends what vacation time he\u2019s got coming to him after a year of work. Being Santa<\/a> relaxes him and releases him from the pressures and inconveniences of everyday stuff. <\/p>\n \u201cWe do this to relax,\u201d Mrs. Claus laughed. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re blessed, we really are. We\u2019ve traveled a lot. We enjoy our grandkids. But we are not the retiring type. We were lucky to find a form of service that, yes, it\u2019s work but it is so rewarding and fun at the same time. I love<\/a> what December has become for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Santa<\/a> heartily agrees. <\/p>\n \u201cI could not be like some of these guys who walk around wearing red all year long,\u201d Santa<\/a> said. \u201cI love<\/a> Christmas<\/a> and I love<\/a> being Santa<\/a>. But to keep Santa<\/a> special I have to keep him separate. I think it is a sad commentary when a grown man has to maintain an identity outside of himself in order to be validated. There might be a handful of places where a year round need for Santa<\/a> is necessary but for the most part Santa<\/a> belongs at Christmas<\/a> and, lucky for me, that\u2019s when I have the time to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n This theme of service seems to be something Santa<\/a> and Mrs. Claus hit on a lot. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve operated my whole career on the idea of servant leadership,\u201d Santa<\/a> said. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a subtle difference in viewpoint. You don\u2019t command from on high, you command from behind. When you understand people\u2019s motivations you can do great things. To understand people\u2019s motivations you have to know their needs. <\/p>\n What works for the boss works for Santa<\/a>. What people really want from Santa<\/a> isn\u2019t toys and it isn\u2019t presents. It\u2019s love<\/a>. It\u2019s warmth. <\/p>\n It\u2019s that Christmas<\/a> feeling<\/a> we should have present every day of the year. I could not be Santa<\/a> Claus without that servant mentality. <\/p>\n The absence of self leads to the expansion of self. Serving others always achieves that end. <\/p>\n When you lose yourself you find yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n