Dear Santa…The Essential Letter
Dear Santa,
I’ve been a good boy all year. (Isn’t that how the Dear Santa letter often starts?) I’ve been nice to my sister, I helped Mom and Dad around the house a lot, and I cleaned up my room every Saturday. Okay, almost every Saturday. (A brief overview of deeds considered ‘good’ in Santa’s books.) I didn’t kick the cat at all this year except that one time she peed on my bed, and I stopped throwing worms at Jimmy Delrooney on the way to school. I even don’t eat food that fell on the ground any more. (Followed by a selection of behaviors considered ‘bad’ in Santa’s books that were obviously stopped.) Can you please, please, please bring me the Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 Console for Christmas this year? (Closing with the requisite hand outstretched, the asking of reward for all the goodness that flowed forth during the year.)
love Billy
As I talked with my daughter about her writing her first ever Dear Santa letter, I thought to myself that this letter is a pretty darn good year-in-review exercise for kids AND for us adults too, as you’ll see.
Why? Because, in essence, the Dear Santa letter is a reflection on the past year. Billy and Sophia have had to sit down, with pen and paper in hand, and think back over the whole year that has just transpired. They have had to dig through the thousands of behaviors that made up their daily lives and sift out those key behaviors which they believe really matter—those that made a difference and which Santa will most want to know about—those that have an effect on their “year end bonus”, if you will.
And what kind of coach would I be if I did not turn this childhood rite of passage into a useful year-end message for you and me. We might be well beyond believing in Santa Claus, but be we are not beyond taking a bit of time out of our daily scramble to reflect back on the extraordinary year that was 2009 and celebrate our role in it.
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So let’s do that for a moment, shall we?
.
Clear a space on your desk, and turn off the monitor. Take out a clean, crisp sheet of white paper and a favorite pen. Take a deep breath, and let it out. Allow yourself to drift back through time to January 1st, 2009. Where were you as the clock struck 12? Now begin to move through the year, visiting each month, and as you do see yourself living your life.
When you finish and arrive back here today, open your eyes.
I’ll let you choose whether you write Dear Santa at the top, but keeping in the spirit of Christmas, I’ll add it in here.
Dear Santa…
I have been a magnificent person this year because…
(Take some time to write down the many ways you have contributed, empowered, uplifted, guided, soothed, respected, encouraged, inspired, honored, healed, taught, rewarded, or recognized others this year.)
I am also very pleased to let you know that I have stopped doing some not-so-helpful behaviors this year…
(Take a few minutes to reflect on and write down some of the disempowering, debilitating, defeating, energy-sapping, de-motivating, faulting, blaming, belittling, or dispiriting behaviors you have stopped bringing into the world this year.)
My wish for this Christmas is…
(And this is the beauty of the Dear Santa letter—you can make any wish, ask for anything, your heart desires. For you, for another, for all, because it is deserved.)
With love and gratitude,
(You.)
.
And that’s it, your year in review. Be sure to celebrate yourself by treating yourself in some way.
From me, thank you friends and colleagues for joining me in this reflection on the year that was. Feel free to share it or try it with your own children. (Of course with kids, you just might have to get them what they ask for!)
Merry Christmas to all of you and your families, and a blessed New Year to come. I have great love and appreciation for all you have given to me and bring to my life each and every day.
Leon
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I enjoyed it a lot! Merry Christmas to you and your family