Dear Saint Nick,*

Your life was such an inspiration as you helped people in distress all those centuries ago in the small town of Demre, Turkey. Those red robes from your Catholic service as a bishop sure continue to be your signature style. The stories of dropping dowries down a chimney to help out some poor women who were about to be sold off as servants moves me too. With your gold coins falling in their stockings they were able to marry their fiances.  I know you did many more extraordinary and selfless things which is why you’ve become a symbol of the Christmas season.

Here’s my wish list for this season:

1)    I often think of Christmas as a time to receive. I’ve not been very good at this in the past – considering myself unworthy. So I would like the gift of being able to graciously receive and to feel worthy.

2)    Peace. “Let there be peace in the world and let it begin with me.” I believe Adlai Stevenson wrote that. I realize that peace requires effort. It means going deep beneath the mental chatter, beneath the emotional highs and lows. I get there most easily when I respond to the divine wake up call at 4:30 a.m. and sit quietly. The serenity goes with me throughout the day.

3)    Love – May I feel and share enough love to make the world a better place.

4)    Health – May this precious body remain in good health.

There are also some downright material things:

5)     A raspberry colored scarf.

6)    A pair of boots.

7)    A MacBook

8)    And don’t forget the chocolate covered cherries!

And what would you like? It would be fun to give you more than just cookies and milk!

With love and gratitude,

Debra

*Saint Nick’s day is celebrated in Catholitc-influenced countries around December 6th. The current day “Santa Claus” is believed to derive from Saint Nicholas. The stories about his selfless giving inspire our Christmas tradition of giving gifts today.

Bio: Debra Moffitt is the award winning author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life and “Garden of Bliss: Cultivating the Inner Landscape for Self-Discovery” (Llewellyn Worldwide, February 2013). A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices, writing and creativity in the U.S. and Europe. More at http://www.awakeintheworld.com and on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/DebraMoffittAwakeintheWorld