Verified by 
Most of us are likely to have specific years of major personal change etched in our memories, such as the birth of a child. In addition, we will have shared special years because of national events that impacted us all, such as 9/11. For me, the year 2020 will go down in my memory as unsurpassed for its range of both dangerous and inspiring peculiarities.
The year is not quite over, but I find myself wondering if this will be the last year of having Santa Claus as a jolly symbol of the holiday season. The history of Santa Claus has evolved over 1700 years! Surely, he and Ms. Claus, the elves, and reindeer will be here forever! Still, 2020 has been unrelentingly…unpredictable. By contrast, Santa Claus has been predictable, with some modifications, for centuries! Could that change?
We all already know the unpredictable 2020 list. The most major event has been the pandemic with its ever-growing numbers of deaths, and its related impact on jobs, housing, social norms, and so much more. Intermittently, there were impacts of fires and floods from climate change and impassioned protests against racial killings and attempts to disrupt voting. Add political upheavals and disinformation and the list here will have just a few of the many stressors of 2020. We each have our own version of their interweaving impact. Taken together, I hear Nat King Cole singing “Unforgettable.”
Is it any surprise that many of us have experienced unusual physical and emotional fatigue over the last 10 months under such conditions? I heard the phrase “the burden of cumulated adversities” in relation to psychology and wondered how many of us have questioned our mental health status this year. It occurred to me that part of the seduction of misinformation and conspiracy theories is that we long to find a reason to explain why we feel unreasonable. The factual truth has been at times overwhelming in its complexity and can leave us feeling powerless in spite of our necessity for those facts. We may seek simplicity instead. In addition, we may long for the stability that human connections provide but desire it so strongly that we unwittingly ignore deceit that can play on our vulnerabilities.
We need a jolly Santa Claus about now! He and his cohorts live in our shared imaginations. We can all agree that it is fantasy, there to remind us we can laugh and be generous to others. Santa Claus is also there to remind us there is such a distinction as “naughty or nice” that is evaluated at the end of the year. I can’t help but wonder if Santa will have enough coal to put in the stockings of naughty people in 2020. The absurdity of flying reindeer is a playful way of dreaming of magical possibilities of reaching new heights. Santa is an imagined role model that many could use to encourage connections, not divisions. Rudolph’s personal story is a great example: He was laughed at for an oddity that ultimately became crucial to the success of Santa’s mission one foggy night.
The “dangerous peculiarities” of 2020 may at first seem easier to find that the “inspiring” ones. Yet I quickly found many who inspired me and for whom I feel deep gratitude. It’s not about ranking; it’s about thanking. There were workers who seemed to share certain values within their different skills: doing their jobs under unimaginable circumstances, giving themselves for the sake of others, and having a core of humility. They include healthcare providers, firemen, flood rescuers, vaccine scientists, investigative reporters, and clerks in essential stores, to name a few. There were others who stepped up not as part of a job they held, but from beliefs they held. There were courageous protestors speaking out against racial injustice, whistleblowers and authors exposing critical truths. There were voters who cast their votes in spite of the pandemic, inconveniences, and harassments. There were others who served from the serenity of their souls, not needing to be seen in their silent spiritual prayers and gentle acts of kindness.
What inspires me most is the collective efforts of all of these who are committed to being loving humans, no matter the hardships. Together, they create a unification of beauty that can serve to heal our divisions. Together, they define what Abraham Lincoln referred to in his first inaugural address and has been frequently quoted in recent years as “the better angels of our nature.”
So, will there be a 2020 Santa Claus or will he be fired by executive order before the end of the year? Will climate change melt his North Pole home so there is no longer an address for children to send letters to? I really don’t think so. Though Santa Claus is a tradition that has been monetized along the way by some, the Claus family is one joyful way to imagine how we can reach for something bigger than all of us and share it. All we need is to carry our gifts in a sled pulled by our own generosity… and to paint red on our masks where it covers our noses!
© B. Luceigh, 12/18/2020
