Many children are struggling, but Santa’s ready to deliver some magic

OF course this is the busiest time of the year, up here at the North Pole. There are reindeer to be fed and watered, their harnesses polished so they gleam.

There are toys to be prepared and packed, each one destined for a sleepy child. There’s a sleigh to be stocked full to the brim. I can tell you, there’s very little time for sleep right now.

And tonight, because it’s Christmas Eve, we’ll be off, whirling right around the world, not stopping for a second, trying to ensure that we make our Christmas journey on time. We’ve never failed, and we never will. By the time all the children wake tomorrow morning, I’ll have come and gone. There’ll be nothing left on the sleigh to unpack, and the reindeer and I will be ready for a nice long snooze.

But as busy as it is, it’s wonderful. The atmosphere here is always crisp and clear. My elves love this time of year, and no matter how busy they are they’re always cheery. The sounds of song and laughter fill the air all day long. They’re endlessly making lists – sometimes, even, checking them twice. And they’re determined that no boy or girl will be left behind.

They leave the reconnaissance to me. You probably don’t know this, but my entire troop of elves insist that I take the time, a week or so before today, to make a quick tour of all the houses I’m going to visit in the dead of night on Christmas Eve. I have to check who’s been naughty and who’s been nice – the elves insist on that, and I always find that at least for these few days the children are all on their best behaviour.

But I want to try to find out how things are, not just with the children but with the mums and dads too. So I keep a close eye on everything throughout the year. And I have to tell you, what I’ve seen this year has been troubling to me. I love visiting Ireland as Christmas gets closer. You can see the excitement building every day. Christmas trees, fairy lights, puddings and cakes being made, children posting their letters to me in the fireplaces all over the country. It’s always been clear to me that the people of Ireland love Christmas and all it means, and that children are really special there.

But not all children. There are too many houses where mums and dads are really struggling. And that seems to me to have got worse this past few years.

What’s strange about it, at least to me, is that Ireland is a rich country. I know you’ve had your troubles in the recent past, and for a time have been dependent on others. But believe me, I visit the whole world all the time, and there is wealth in Ireland that people in many other countries would envy.

But there seems to be unfairness too. Many of the children I see are warm and well-nourished. But there are too many houses where there is hunger, and cold. As the weather turns bad, there are too many children in ill-fitting clothes that offer them no protection. There will be some houses even at this time of year where the children have little enough to look forward to.

And there are whole neighbourhoods where it isn’t safe for children to play, and where children live in fear a lot of the time — neighbourhoods that were passed by when there was much more wealth in the country. How long will it be, I wonder, before we all realise what kind of a future we are building for the generation of children who live there?

Children all over Ireland are struggling in different ways. Hunger, cold, fear, are some of the conditions. But there is mental distress too. Too many children have suffered anxiety, depression, self-harm. Too many children are lonely, struggling with a sense of worthlessness, not realising how valuable and important they all are.

And there is the ultimate sadness. Nothing gives me greater pain than to realise that some of the children I visited last year are not there any more. It’s a small number, perhaps a dozen each year, but the hurt left behind by children who saw no other recourse but to take their own lives is immense. That hurt lasts forever – it’s the only pain that even Santa Claus can’t heal.

You’ve made some big decisions about children in Ireland, I know that. You set out to change your Constitution, to make the welfare of children more important and to give them a voice in their own futures. And even though some people are still challenging that decision in the courts, I’m sure that will make a difference over time. And I know you’ve taken other steps to strengthen the protection of children in Ireland, especially to protect them from different kinds of harm. That too will make a difference.

But right now, it seems to me that children are the ones who are suffering because of the recession into which your country was plunged. Now, there seem to be some signs the recession is easing a bit. I hope the children will be the first to see the benefit of that.

There is good news too, of course. Perhaps more than any other people I know, the people of Ireland recognise that this is a time for giving. There are organisations all over your country who set themselves the task each year of trying to bring warmth and comfort and presents to as many houses as possible. They couldn’t do it without your help, and I see that help being given day-in and day-out.

AND it achieves wonderful things — in big ways and little ways. Only last week I saw a homework club, in one community that has suffered more than its share of unfairness, make sure that every single child in the community got a book as part of their visit to Santa Claus. Every single book was written and published in Ireland, which was a wonderful thing to see. What was even more wonderful was to see, a few minutes later, many of the children already sitting on their mum’s lap as the book was being opened and read.

You know, and I know, that the more we give at this time of year, the better we feel. None of us wants to see a child go hungry at Christmas, and we can’t bear the thought of a child being left behind by Santa Claus.

And that is one thing you can all be sure of. Hope is what matters most. At this time of year, no child should hope in vain. So you can be absolutely certain that no matter how difficult things are, Santa Claus will be there. Tomorrow, at least, there will be a surprise to help you to remember what Christmas is really about. I hope there will be warmth and plenty wherever you are. Above all, I hope there will be lots to smile about. Happy Christmas to each and every one of you.