When did you stop believing in Santa? How did it happen for you? We all have our stories and memories of this potentially devastating event in our lives. For our family, this year was another close call, or was it? Our daughter just turned eleven and she still believes. Although, she claims the tooth fairy is a giant hoax. The Easter Bunny and Santa still have credibility apparently. She has asked us questions about it the last couple of years. Many of the kids in her class are aware of the cold hard truth. She chooses to believe that Santa is still here to drop in late at night when we are sleeping and go through our stuff, eat our food and leave us some gifts to open in the morning (kind of creepy when you think about it). Hubby and I have discussed whether or not to burst her bubble but the questions always come up close to Christmas and we just don’t have the heart. With that said, we don’t “lie” either. When she questions us we pull the classic psychologist parenting out “what do you think?” “Do you think Santa really exists?” It seems to work in the short run, it makes her ask herself is she “really” wants to know. This year we came close and I thought it might actually happen. She came home and said “Mom, some of the kids at school say that the parents give us the gifts”. I think I came up with a good age appropriate response for her. I told her that it doesn’t really matter if there is an actual man in a red suit that comes in the night and drops off gifts, because that is not what Christmas is about {insert here what you think Christmas is about}. What matters is what Santa represents, what he symbolizes for us as a culture that celebrates Christmas. What matter most it that children continue to believe in that spirit and the transition into that Sants-less belief is even more important than the belief in Santa itself. So, this morning as you wake up and realize that you left the wrapping out and your smarty pants kid starts questioning why Santa would use our gift labels just tell them it’s the spirit that counts, not the wrapping.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
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