Scott Pierson
v_140
3rd Place Award



Virginia,

Have you ever had your parents read you a bedtime story where the
characters  seemed so real that it was as if they were really
alive?  And maybe you imagined that  they lived in a far-away
place, and thought about how nice it would be to meet them 
someday.  In your heart, you probably knew all along that the
characters lived in your  imagination.  Still, it was fun to
pretend that they're real.  And so even though you knew  they
weren't really there, it would hurt your feelings if somebody
told you that they  didn't exist.  Santa Claus is a character
like this.  He may not be real in the sun, but to say  he doesn't
exist discounts the power of the imagination.

The story of Santa Claus is a very old one, told in different
ways all over the  world, as it has been for hundreds of years. 
Its main character, Santa, is often described  as a generous,
kind individual who gives out presents at Christmas. When
good-hearted  adults tell this story to children, they mean to
spread joy and a feeling of giving.  They  know that there is no
real-life Santa Claus, or at least not a super-powered man who
can  deliver presents all over the world in one night, but the
example that Santa sets is a good  one.  He gives without asking
anything in return, something that all people should try to  do. 
Parents tell their children the Santa Claus story because they
want their children to  [sic]

However, some adults try to use the Santa story to control their
children's  behavior.  They tell their kids that if they don't
behave, then Santa Claus will punish  them and not give them any
presents.  They make Santa out to be a judgmental man with 
superpowers, who knows all that you do and say.  This makes the
generous nice guy  Santa Claus into a mean, scary man.  But you
don't have to be scared, Virginia.  The only  Santa Claus that
exists is the one in your imagination.  He is only as good or as
bad as  you imagine him, and cannot do anything to hurt you that
you don't believe yourself.

The best way to think of Santa is not to put your trust in him as
a real person, or to  obey your parents blindly because they tell
you that Santa is the reason to be good.  You  should behave
however you feel to be right, and always remember that when
people tell  stories, they are meant to be imaginary.  They might
be very descriptive, or sound  convincing, but no matter how good
of a story somebody tells you, you must remember  to keep a
separation between the imaginary things they tell you and the
real world that  you can see.  Pay attention to what their
stories mean to teach you, and you will come to  understand the
world.