Santa I Know Him!!!

SANTA I KNOW HIM!!!!

One of the reasons I love this movie as much as I do is that my nieces and nephews like it a lot.  I can hear my niece Kristyn and nephew Jesse quoting Buddy the Elf by screaming, "Santa I Know Him!"  It makes me miss them a lot.

So why do I relate to this movie?  Sometimes when I find myself in those moments of standing out in a culture that is not my own, I feel like Buddy.  Granted I am not wearing an Elf outfit but sometimes I feel like I should be.  And sometimes I get those looks like the one on the managers face.  Sometimes it is just a blank look and other times it is one of frustration.

Then there are those moments when I want to jump up and down and scream "Santa I Know Him!"  (Scary thing is sometimes I hear these exact words in my head).  Santa is a metaphor for people or things that I know.  It is that connection with something from home or with someone who knows me for me.  I have had three friends visit me in Brazil.  One for a couple of weeks and the others only for a couple of hours each.  But these are my glimpses of Santa.  Of having moments where I am me Carolyn, and I feel like the other person gets me, and loves me for my true self.

Crazy thing is sometimes I get this way about other things too.  For example: we had cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving.  I was so happy I could have jumped up and down.  Maybe once a month I treat myself to a Starbucks coffee.  There is a Starbucks by my language school and I like to study there.  And sometimes I have gotten a care package with Reese Peanut Butter Cups or Hot Tamales, and that first bite is remarkable.

The other aspect of this movie is about Buddy exploring new things and making new relationships.  I too am lucky to have the opportunity to see the world through new eyes.  To discover things I never imagined.  It can be a little scary but mostly it is exciting.

And every once in awhile I come across something from my own culture, from my own language, and from home.  And I become like Buddy.  Excited, full of hope and joy, and grateful to connect with a piece of myself I don't encounter every day.