Those who don’t believe...

“Students please, I need your attention. This morning we have a fun holiday activity planned and then we’re heading out to the playground. Okay, class – settle down. I know everyone is excited about the holiday break that’s coming up, but please let’s get back in our seats and settle down.”

A slight uproar of excitement had broken out over Ms. Sanderson’s Kindergarten classroom. It was to be expected in light of the upcoming early release from school followed by two weeks off. Not to mention the potential for presents. Ms. Sanderson and her assistant where handing out materials navigating the aisle of desks and trying to explain the instructions of the activity over the ever-growing noise.

“Please, I need your attention. Everyone, we’re not going to get to do this activity if you can’t all get in your seats and put a button on it!”, she urged impatiently. Somewhere across the room, a box of crayons hit the floor spilling out on the tile in a rainbow of color. Ms. Sanderson let out a moan in frustration, “Okay please pick up those crayons, listen up…” Just about then she heard the very high pitch shrill and a young lady’s voice screaming followed by, “stop it, Danny”. It was clear Danny was in the wrong with a handful of the young girl’s hair wrapped around his fingers. Ms. Sanderson, rushed over dropping the supplies she had in her hands to the floor.

Hitting a point of no return, Ms. Sanderson said something she had never intended. Headed right into a territory that she knew better than to enter because it leads to certain doom. Looking right at Danny she said, “You better behave or Santa isn’t going to come to your house, Danny.” We’ll she got his attention right away. The problem is she got the attention of the whole classroom. Some of the kids who starting to dwell on their own situations started to cry. Objections broke out around the classroom. Someone called out, “I didn’t do it!” and “Santa isn’t coming now because of Danny?!” In the midst of the commotion, Danny looked up and smugly said, “I don’t believe in Santa Claus!” Quick at the wit, the teacher snapped back, “If you don’t believe you can’t receive!” At that very moment she realized she had just plunged even further into the abyss.

Ms. Sanderson glanced over at her assistant who was starring at her with a shell-shocked expression on her face. Danny fought back, screaming out, “there’s no such thing as Santa Claus, it’s your parents.” More children cried out in fear. Someone said, “Is that true? It’s our parents? Is Danny right Ms. Sanderson?” Someone else said, “We don’t celebrate Christmas out our house, but am I supposed to have Santa Claus too?” At this point Ms. Sanderson and her assistant had their hands full. A barrage of questions where coming from the students and Danny seemed to be fueling the fire shouting out remarks about there being no Santa Claus.

Ms. Sanderson took Danny by the arm and ushered him out the door and into the hallway. Sensing that he may have bitten off more than he can chew, he started to settle down. While they were in the hall the students in the classroom where still out of control when someone yelled, “there he is, there he is!!” Pointing to the window, everyone turned and saw a flash of red. The class got very quiet as the big man in a red suit with a white beard peered into the frosty window, clearing off the snow with his mittens and fogging up the glass with his breath. He pulled at the door that leads outside in the back of the classroom. The kids kept it to a low murmur, and starred in amazement as he boomed, “ho, ho, ho. Hi everyone has you been good?” A loud “Yeah” roared up over the class.

Outside in the hall, Danny heard the commotion and got a terrible feeling that he was missing out on something. As he wanted to get back in the classroom, Ms. Sanderson looked him straight in the eye and asked, “We’ll Danny what do you have to say?” Danny looked past her and into the classroom through the tiny window in the door. He could see someone with a white beard carrying a big red sack. It looked like he was giving out presents to the students. He tried to push his way past, but Ms. Sanderson said again, “Danny, what do you say?” Danny meeting her eyes, said, “Sorry, I’m sorry”. “Sorry for what?”, she retorted. “I’m sorry that I said there’s not such thing as Santa, I believe, I believe.”

Ms. Sanderson, sensing the urgency of the moments, said, “Okay Danny I’m going to let you in but you have to promise to apologize for pulling Sarah’s hair and no pushing and no shoving, you understand?” And with that she opened the door and Danny slowly made his way into the crowd of students and patiently waited his turn. Ms. Sanderson, watched and noticed that he was apologizing to Sarah just as he promised. She smiled as she thought about how Danny learned a lesson that day and how a holiday fiasco was nearly averted.