Because we have gods

We're coming soon to that time, the one where we tell our daughter that the old man in the Coca Cola suit is just some guy hired by the mall to bring children in with their parents, so that the parents can figure out what their kids want for Gifting Season. Some will tell their kids that the stories about this man were lies, that he is "not real." Some that tell their kids may not be so harsh, but the kids will nevertheless walk away with that impression.

"Santa isn't real," is the message. "God/the gods aren't real." "It's all just stories."

But that's disingenuous. It sends a false message. We live in a world of gods. We live in a world where a man fell from the stars and walked away. We live in a world where another man walked upon the desolate landscape of the moon. We live in a world where every day thousands fly through the sky, some on missions martial, but most merely going from one land to another, far off. We plumb the depths of the ocean, plan visits to other worlds, create miracles every day. We create new life forms, and argue whether that's wise.
We live in a world of gods. We are those gods.

So our tales of gods become ever more fantastic. Santa originally drove a sled pulled by horses - one or two, I can't remember. Now he flies in a sleigh pulled by eight caribou. We say he covers the entire planet in the course of one night, carrying enough for children everywhere, so that he doesn't need to restock midflight.

This can't be true. It doesn't make sense. It can't be literal.

Well, no, perhaps it isn't literal. But it's true. All around the world, children recieve gifts from Santa. Therefore, it is true that Santa gives gifts to children around the world. Does it matter if those children's parents are the proxy used?

Tales of gods (and yes, I consider Santa Claus a god), are meant as much to inspire us to our own greatness. Does it matter if they are literal? Does a thunderstorm have to only be an electrical discharge during a meteorological event, or can it also be Mjollnir smashing into the face of some evil giant trying to destroy us? Because I see no giant, does that mean it was not a hammerblow?

An old man dressed in red winterwear inspires us to give generously to one another, and to care for one another during the winter storms. Frankly, he does a better job of inspiring us than the tale of a baby born in a barn in a Mediterranean desert town.

A large, middle aged fellow with red beard and hammer inspires (some of) us to be strong and stand up for what is right. A one-eyed old man teaches us to be wise, and look beyond the obvious. A young man who was nailed to a tree teaches us to be forgiving.

So we follow these inspirations. We look to the stars, and say, "Let's see what is out there." We heal people of illnesses and wounds that could never before be fixed. We talk to people on the other side of the globe as if they were our next door neighbors. We eat foods from far off lands, or make new foods. We speak in one language to a person, and they read or hear our words in their own.  The blind can be made to see, the legless to walk, the deaf to hear. We can give you a new face.

Because we have gods, and they show us that it can be done.