See, Daddy! Santa IS Real!

I have a confession to make: I'm not a Santa Claus enthusiast.

I know it's shocking, and everything, but there you go.

Now, it's not that I have anything against Saint Nicholas of Myra--I love the stories about him. I just want my children to know that presents show up under the Christmas tree because THEIR PARENTS love them, and we budget and scrimp and save and sacrifice to make Christmas fun for them.

L, S, and R all know this, of course; they've known it for years. But J is only three, so he doesn't remember the holidays from last year. It's all new to him: the lights, the tree, the stockings...

...and Santa.

Now, I've tried to explain. I've told him how I'M Santa Claus, and I'M the one who wraps the presents and who eats the cookies that we leave out.

And just about the time I thought I had convinced him, we had the annual Christmas Party at church and (I should have known this was coming) in walked Santa Claus, jingling bells, laughing merrily, and handing out candy canes.

And while all of the children were happy to see him, there was one little boy who was beside himself with delight. His voice rang out, over the excited chatter of the other kids: "See, Daddy!!! Santa IS real!!!"

I couldn't bear to shatter the dream. He was so excited. His eyes lit up and he was grinning from ear to ear. He was nearly dancing with anticipation as he stood in line, waiting for his turn to sit on Santa's lap and chat with him. He couldn't stop asking me when his turn would come and kept telling me that Santa was real. Santa was real!

I was very well behaved. I refrained from yanking the beard off the imposter and exposing the conspiracy.

That's probably good, I suppose. Think what might have happened had I not kept my peace. Families may have been torn apart as children found out their parents have been lying to them for years. Hurt feelings. Tears.

Who needs that on their conscience?

MOJ

p.s. We're still working on the "I'm Santa Claus" thing. But ever since that party, it's been an uphill battle.