Dear Virginia, if you’re reading the business section of the Sunday newspaper, you’ll want to stop right now.
Because, first of all, what 9-year-old reads the business news? But also because what you’ll find on these pages will burst your little bubble. It will dash childhood dreams that if you just eat your vegetables, memorize your multiplication tables and say your prayers, you’ll get everything you ever wanted.
We’ve had some interesting conversations around the office lately about how long we believed in Santa Claus. Some insist they clung to the belief until they were 12 or 13 years old.
I was shocked. How could a near teenager suspend all rational logic and actually believe one man traveled the whole world in a single night?
But, they contend, consider the evidence: All the toys they wanted were piled beneath the tree on Christmas morning.
So that was it. I knew Santa would bring me what I wanted, as long as I kept my expectations practical and within budget.
It’s not age that makes children quit believing in Santa. It’s just that poor kids figure out the gig early on, while those in cozy, comfortable homes can keep on believing in fairy tales and happy endings.
Then those kids grow up to become bankers and auto executives.
Even though they may have done a few things to get on the naughty list, they know that a well-executed temper tantrum can convince Santa it’s in his best interest to deliver the goods. It works every year.
This Christmas, most Americans feel like they’ll have to be happy with socks and a chocolate bar, while across town, a bunch of brats are playing with their new video games and bicycles.
They’ll be wading through wrapping paper up to their knees, proclaiming, “Santa, I knew you were real! All I had to do was believe and I’d get everything I wanted.”
But here in St. Joe, we know it takes more than faith to pay the bills. There’s never a good time to lose your job, but the Christmas season seems especially harsh. It has become heartbreaking to report business news as company after company has layoffs and family after family copes with loss.
This economy is evidence that sincerely believing, working hard and being nice are good traits, but will not do anything to insulate you from hard times.
But there’s another truth that poor kids learn early. There is a message of hope at Christmas. And it transcends anything that can be wrapped in a box.
Business editor Susan Mires can be reached at susanm@npgco.com.
