When we made the public call for help to get “Operation Santa/In-flight Magazine” going a few weeks ago, I had high hopes that it would help make my son’s Christmas dreams come true. But in reality, it has been a dream come true for many of us, the adults, that exceeded those early expectations. And it came during a year when it seems many people needed to be reminded of the goodness of people, the generosity of friends, and the wonder of a child’s dreams. Thanks to so many friends, I am a big believer in all.
This year, my son was struggling with the age-old question of “Is there really a Santa Claus?” Perhaps to test out this question, and following on his years-long passion about airlines and air travel, and maybe to feel closer to his Dad who is always on a plane, he asked Santa Claus to deliver what at first seemed impossible: an in-flight magazine from every airline in the world. While my wife and I are fairly resourceful people, this seemed like an insurmountable task just a few short weeks before Christmas. Our first reaction was slight panic, and some ideas on how to help him modify the request. But in came the cavalry! Creative, innovative friends, and the miracle of social media, came to the rescue.
The Facebook posts and blogs started to tell the story of this Christmas quandary. People began tweeting about “how to help Santa Claus this year.” And before I knew it, envelopes began pouring in from people around the world who were taking a plane and who wanted to be part of making this boy’s Christmas dream come true. Every time I went to the P.O. Box my heart skipped as I opened the tiny mailbox door to find another slip of paper announcing there was a parcel addressed to “Santa Sherinian” or “Operation In-Flight Magazine.” Some of our dear friends living here in Washington, D.C. took time out of their schedules to go out of their way to pick-up a magazine and to drop it off surreptitiously at our home in time for Christmas morning. Little by little, a true miracle was being built.
A few of my favorite memories from the last few weeks are tiny, powerful reminders of the goodness of people, and the willingness of others to get involved. I want to share a few of them here:
- The look on the face of the man managing the P.O. Box place when I showed up to pick-up envelopes the very first day. He gave me a hug, knowing that each of these envelopes was something that was part of something big. “This is cool. Your friends are cool!” he told me. Oh yes, indeed.
- An anonymous note attached to a magazine in one of the envelopes addressed to “Santa Sherinian” made a reference to the recent tragedy in Connecticut, stating simply, “After such a sad weekend, I’ll do anything to help a kid’s dream come true.”
- One friend, far from his family this holiday, made a special trip to the airport one evening to collect magazines from various airlines. He could not be with his own son that day, but told me later he felt closer to him by being able to “pay it forward” and charmed his way into a collector’s edition magazine from Air Canada and some special surprises.
- A friend took the time to write to multiple airlines, many of whom came through with magazines from faraway places with a note to me acknowledging this special “Santa’s helper” and reminding me to help my son dream big and follow his plans to become an airline CEO.
- Cathay Pacific, Alitalia and Turkish Airlines all sent special packages with their latest magazines, and sent the packages next-day-air to make sure we got them in time. This was smart customer relations but, at its heart, was just nice human relations.
- One of DC’s top lawyers went to great lengths to find current magazines from international carriers while on a transfer in Atlanta. He came home with a store of great titles for the effort. This is a person that people fight to get on their cases (and whose hourly rate I would never be able to afford). But he gave us a few hours at Atlanta airport, showing his generosity of spirit.
- A colleague re-posted the story on a blog which helped drive a flurry of interest and delivered some additional magazines that arrived right on time on December 24.
- Foreign service friends put out calls to their peers coming home for the holidays to pick-up a magazine on the way back. One long-time friend came by the house on Christmas Eve to deliver a magazine fresh from a flight, and helped us secretly prepare presents and do the last-minute wrapping.
- And, right before Christmas, a creative work friend very quietly handed me a wonderful surprise: the in-flight magazine from Air Force One.
There are dozens more instances where I was again reminded of the generosity of my friends, and their networks, and the kindness of people who read this blog.
On Christmas morning, my son rushed downstairs to find 68 magazines specially arrayed on the living room floor near the tree. He cried out with joy. I just cried. The video from the moment is a blubbery, sentimental mess which I won’t ever be able to share with anyone but him, but I was able to catch that one picture…that candid shot he did not know was coming, when he looked up, eyes wide, and declared, “He did it! Santa did it!”
Yes, Santa, all 68 of them, indeed came through. Santa is real because I have seen him work in the form of women and men who care about others, are willing to take the extra step to make something happen, and want to make a difference.
Adam proudly displays the magazines in his room, has cataloged them, and continues to read them cover to cover. Those magazines that are still arriving we will present to him on Armenian Christmas (on January 6), which will only bring more delight to this little boy, who is just on the verge of becoming a little man. While the magazines are a treasure for him, I know they will someday fade or move to the back of the closet. But there is one unexpected treasure that I have decided to hold for him…
The 68 envelopes.
I now have 68 envelopes with names on them, addressed to “Santa Sherinian.” I have decided to keep these to show to Adam to let him know, when the time is right, how Santa’s miracle works. It is the kindness of others that can make big things happen, whether for a small child on Christmas morning or on a global scale when tackling big problems like health, safety, or poverty. Those envelopes have become an important reminder for me of how things can and should work in our tightly connected world of today.
Thank you, to all of you, for mailing those envelopes, for sharing your posts to help make those envelopes possible, for going out of your way to collect magazines, or for just sending notes of support. And thanks to all of you for supporting another crazy quest on Christmas with the Sherinians. I feel so blessed.
I have a feeling this will be the year when he asks me the really tough questions and when we have “the Santa talk.” Meanwhile, I am grateful to have the answers, and the proof. After all, I have 68 envelopes, tucked away safely in a box in my closet, that offer proof positive that Santa is alive and real.
(P.S. Above is that one picture of my son, when he looked up after dropping to his knees and crying out with delight when he first saw the magazines. I also took a moment the night before, as my wife and I finished all the “Santa preparations,” to film some of the titles as they sat ready for Christmas morning. The small video is embedded above. I felt like all these friends were there in our living room with us. We are so blessed to have all of you in our lives. Thank you!)
2 comments
A delight from beginning to end. Actually, a little cry at the end, but a delight none-the-less. Thank you letting us all be elves in your Christmas story.
Love the ending to this Christmas story.