Santa is an icon of love, and one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season. There is, however, one part of his schtick where he gets it wrong--the naughty list. Causing dread in children for generations, the lump of coal is an effective motivator on those days when extra sugar means extra naughtiness. I think Santa starts moving into behavioral modification, but I'm not here to quibble with North Pole policies.
I'm here to remind you that Christmas is no time for your naughty list. Christmas, like heat on a grease stain, brings the bad memories out of hiding. Your personal list of the coal-worthy is mixed right in with the Christmas gift swap list. The temptation is to have your say, but the opportunity is to forgive. Some folks deserve worse than coal and no inspirational sugar-coating can make you feel differently. You don't have to feel differently, but you do have to forgive. Withholding forgiveness means no matter how certain your brain is that you're right, your heart remembers you're wrong. It can wreck your Christmas, not to mention put you on the naughty list.
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