This was the first year that I did not go to the police station to get my fingerprints taken, as I do each year, to confirm that I do not have a criminal record and that allows me, as Santa Claus, to show parents and others responsible for children’s welfare, that their charges are safe with Santa Danny, who is not recognizable under the long white hair and beard but my voice gives it away and that brings a smile of recognition on a face or two of people who know me but do not believe in Santa until they find that there is a wrapped gift in it for them, but only if they pretend to believe in Santa, but they cannot fool the real Santa, who does really exist but whose home is not at the North Pole but instead he lives inside the hearts of children of all ages, who live each day with an excitement that only ends when the day becomes night, and they dream of sugar plums and candy canes that you can only get during the Christmas season because what we are celebrating is actually a religious event that happened one day in December a long time ago but the significance was lost when it was learned that Santa was actually traveling to the homes of children all over the world, of all ages and all faiths to deliver gifts and even to the children with no faith because of the poverty of their existence and even though there will be turkey dinner with stuffing and lots of presents and party favors and mistletoe for the romantic and trees decorated with lights and ornaments and music playing carols nonstop during the day and night, and in every store and public place in the Western world, but that shining star in the East that the wise men saw that mystical evening did not lead them to bring the kind of gifts you put under the tree or in your bank account or describe to your friends who may not even have a Christmas tree at home or be living with both parents because their mother is trying to raise them on her own with no help from anyone but those who learned that it is better to give then to receive every day of the year and hope that your actions will make another person’s suffering less for a moment or two and although a small act of kindness may not have a monetary value, it is something that cannot be bought or sold, because Love is what Santa brings to the children of the world, people he only visits once a year yet loves them every day without fail and that includes the homeless, the innocent, the guilty, the depressed, the lonely, the happy, the sad, the sick, the dying, the newborn, the abused, the tortured, the neglected, the bullied, the bully, the thief, the policeman, the nurse, the doctor, the undertaker, the baby, the pet, the birds that wake you In the morning, the sun that sets in the West and never fails to rise each morning in the East, and the politician who eats plenty and the voter who votes and starves on the same day and the grim reaper who never tires of collecting souls and for every young boy whose heart has been broken by every girl he ever loved and wishes he was living in a different world but knows that it probably is not fair there either and that is why I am so sad this year as I am each year at this time, but if I had one wish and only one wish to ever make it would be to plant a vision in your heart of me holding you in my arms and telling you that I will love you, forever and ever!
Dedicated to you
UPDATE: I wrote this jumble of my thoughts while listening to singer/songwriter Carl Jonas Arnberg’s beautiful music and wanted to feature one of his songs in the next story I write.
Usually, I google the lyrics and then copy and paste them at the end of the stories.
I also try to choose a song that I feel resonates with that particular story.
But I couldn’t find him on Google or the lyrics for his song.
And although I have more than 12,000 songs in my personal library and every one of them was purchased, most of my songs are songs about falling in or out of Love.
I don’t have many songs about self-love or the inner spirit that resides in all of us.
These past few months have been very difficult for me because of loneliness and self-loathing.
I was feeling sorry for myself, even though I know there are many others who have it much worse than I could ever imagine.
And then it happened!
Anita Moorjani is one of only two people I follow on my Twitter page.
Her recent tweet about Carl’s touching music led me to search for him on SoundCloud, a website for new artists to post their work.
Only Love is the first song I heard, and it struck a chord in my being that is still vibrating with the excitement of a kid in a candy store!
I didn’t know if the song lyrics were available, so I googled the song title and Carl’s Jonas’s name.
But nothing appeared under Carl’s name or the song title.
So, next, I tried iTunes and not only found that song but there were five other songs by him!
I bought and downloaded each of them without listening to any. The Only Love song was all it took for me to become a fan of his music.
And as you know, I always include the lyrics to the songs I post, so we can sing along.
So, I decided to write to Mr. Arnberg and ask if he would send me the lyrics to his six published songs.
I didn’t expect an answer – he lives in Sweden!
But guess who sent me a message on LinkedIn a few hours ago?
Was it Santa Claus?
No, Spanky, not even close! Now, please go back to playing your two-string, air-guitar!
Yes, it was Mr. Carl Jonas Arnberg, himself!
Here’s what we wrote:
And that, dear reader, is the best Christmas gift that I have ever received in my 70 years!
But to really make this an awesome Christmas, I would like each of you, who likes Carl’s songs, to go to wherever you buy music online and purchase his songs.
For Spotify users, here’s the link to Carl Jonas Arnberg
For iTunes users, his songs are listed under Carl Jonas
And Carl just informed me that he has a debut album coming out in 2021 under the title Lion of Love.
Imagine the look on the faces of your friends when you play Carl’s songs for them!
You can tell them that you were buying Carl’s music before he launched his first album!
But please, never, ever, download any artist’s material for free.
You don’t work for free – so why should an artist not be paid for sharing their treasures?
Downloading for free is just another term for theft.
Thanks, again, Carl!
Dedicated to Carl Jonas Arnberg
I hope my stories are a gift to your head and heart.
Hugs,
Danny
Today’s tune from Danny’s library (purchased):
The wind is playing in my hair,
Waves are crashing, my feet are bare,
A revelation dawning in salty ocean air.
This is more than just goodbye,
It’s the ending of a lie,
A web of veils, and wounds, where I was your supply.
This is how I draw the line, this is holy ground.
For my heart to play and shine,
I will no longer be bound
To anyone who’s not aligned with this joy, that I’ve found
From now on, only love, only love,
Only love will be cherished here
It doesn’t matter what you try to tell,
I know your every word now all too well,
They can’t reach me now,
‘Cause I’m no longer under your spell
This is not to judge or blame, loving truth is all I claim,
Turning shadows to light was the essence of our game.
This is how I draw the line, this is holy ground.
For my heart to play and shine, I will no longer be bound
To anyone who’s not aligned with this joy that I’ve found
From now on, only love, only love, only love will be cherished here.
Songwriter: Carl Jonas Arnberg
© Carl-Jonas Arnberg
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