By Sister Celeste Reinhart, SSND
It was Christmas Eve in Ontario. Snow covered our little farm. The tree was decorated and Mom was finished baking. The whole house smelled beautiful.
The family - Mom, Dad, seven little kids - were seated at the table, having dinner. There was a knock at the door. Who would be out now?
It was Santa himself!
Mom invited him in for supper. He sat opposite of Dad, who sat next to Mom. He actually ate supper with us.
He said he wanted us to know he was running a bit late tonight, but that if we went to bed at our regular time, and stayed asleep, he would make sure our presents would be under the tree by morning.
He was so real! He was so respectful of us, so reliable. The fact that our parents trusted him enough to invite him to supper meant we could trust him too.
We never did figure out for sure who Santa really was. Probably the neighbor. But, oh, what joy he brought us.
I don't remember what I got that year, but Santa always brought a "want" gift, like ice skates. Our parents always gave us a "need" gift like a scarf.
As I look back on it, our Santa supper was both a want and a need gift. It has lasted my whole life. His presence was a present of pure love.
