As we celebrate the birth of Christ during this joyous time of year we also are saddened by the loss of a dear friend that many of you know and love.  When our family first met T. Blue “Santa” Sanderson, our oldest children were barely two years old.  We were amazed at the interaction between T. Blue and the kids and how authentic it seemed to be between “Santa” and children.  As they grew up and would see other “Santas” at the mall and in other places, they would say “that’s not the real Santa; the real Santa goes to our church and sings in the choir”.  We would watch other children interact with Santa all year long and it was great fun to watch their expressions at church when around September they would begin thinking about Christmas and telling him in the parking what they wanted from their list.  For some children it has always been a reminder to be on their P’s and Q’s so they would stay on the “nice list”.  Those are just a few of the many special memories we have of Santa … there are many more.  As we told our children this morning of the loss of our wonderful friend, our youngest, Carmen began to cry and said we had so many good times with him.

The one thing that has always meant the most to me is his eagerness to always share the real meaning of Christmas and help us to keep Jesus foremost in our minds and hearts during the season.  Today as we were in church and singing I couldn’t help but visualize him worshiping with the angels and praising Jesus in person.  He has always been solid in his faith and beliefs and so eager to share Jesus with others … because Jesus is the reason for the season.  Even though he lived a life as Santa and reflected his jolly, happy spirit to those around him it was more evident to see the joy of Christ reflected in his life.

As this has been a difficult time in T. Blue going home to be with Jesus, their family has also faced other family members being hospitalized or having surgeries.  Please keep Beth, their children and their families  in your prayers during this difficult time and pray that God will graciously envelop the “presents” of His grace and comfort around them all.