Do you Believe?

Seeing as yesterday was Christmas I thought I would post about someone that I love very much. That man would be Santa Claus aka Grandpa Pete. Yes that's right my grandpa is Santa, pretty cool huh?

Well this wonderful man died about three years ago and I want to tell you about the great man that I had the honor of calling grandpa. His name was Henry Luther Newman but he liked to go by Pete. He was truly the most amazing old man in the world. He loved everyone and made us all feel special. He died a fighter of cancer. This sweet man hardly ever had a frown on his face. There wasn't much that could take the warm welcoming smile off his face. He served in the Navy in WW2 on the USS Turner. He left for the war before he was able to graduate high school. He never got the chance to walk across the stage with his friends and fellow classmates to receive a diploma. In 2009 my grandma was able to get her hands on that diploma and on June 4, 2009 my grandpa walk across the stage with my brother and received his HS diploma. It was a very special day for all of us and a big surprise for him. If you lived in Utah at the time you may remember seeing the news reports of the grandpa graduating with his grandson. Or maybe you remember reading about on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune.

 So now that you know a little about this wonderful man I can tell you about how he brought joy to a ton of little boys and girls. He played as a mall Santa for many years and put smiles on more than my families faces. If you have ever seen a Miracle on 34th street you know how adorable this man was as a Santa. He spent more than just a few minutes with each child. He made sure that the child felt comfortable and he listened intently and showed interest in each child. He treated each child that sat upon his knee like his own grandchild. It was the most glorious thing to watch, there is nothing that brings the Christmas spirit to ones holiday like seeing the eyes of that man sparkle as each adoring child told this magical man what it is they wish for Christmas. A lot of sweet children asked for toys and material things, but there was always those few children who asked with tears in their eyes for something to eat, a warm place to sleep, and for their mom or dad to come home from the war. My dear grandpa not being able to make some of these things happen just took these children in his arm and gave them a giant hug of comfort.

 I believe that this man was guided my angels in his work. He let the light of Christ shine brightly through him and you could not help but love this man just by the sight of him. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to have this man as a grandfather, let alone to be able to know him. As I got older my belief in Santa never dwindled, as it does for many, it got stronger. For those who don't believe in Santa, I challenge you to look at the type of man he is. He is a heck of a lot like Jesus. If you believe in Christ I think that you also believe in Santa. My grandfather was a really good example of being Christ like and if anyone can turn out half of the person he was you are going to be in good shape with the man up stairs. With this I wish you all a happy new year and pray that all of your dreams come true!