True story--I still believe in Santa Claus.
Yes, I know how Christmas Eve really works, but that doesn't make the joy on my children's faces when they see new presents under the tree on Christmas morning any less magical, or the idea of personifying the virtue of generosity any less admirable. I love hearing my kids talk about Santa as if he's their intimate friend, and when Jack wrote Santa a little note the other day telling him that he loved him, don't think I didn't save it in a drawer somewhere where he (hopefully) won't find it for at least four or five more years.
It's interesting having a son who is old enough both to understand how cool Santa Claus really is, as well as old enough to start putting two and two together when things don't quite add up. There have been a few moments where I've seen the gears working a little, when he'll ask me certain questions that show me that he wants to believe but is still having his doubts.
I was just like him when I was that age; I desperately wanted to still believe in the idea of Santa, but I was an observant little girl and had seen and heard things that made me doubt my faith--I still remember being in first grade and having a classmate tell me, "Santa isn't real!!"
A little part of my doubting heart stopped for a moment, and I wondered, until my much-smarter-than-me friend (yes, I'm talking about you, Shauni) piped up: "Of course he's real!! Can your parents fit down a chimney?"
Obviously, this bit of logic stunned my other classmate and renewed my flagging faith.
Today, we nearly had a faith crisis for Jack, which was happily averted by some luck on my part. We had our ward party this morning, which I loved for two reasons.
One: it was a pajama party which meant NO GETTING READY!! and
Two: Santa was there which meant NO WAITING IN SUPER LONG LINES AT A MALL/OTHER EVENT!!
I was pretty happy about this set-up, and my kids were, as well--they all timidly sat either on or near Santa and shyly answered his questions about whether or not they'd been good:
Jack was just plain excited--
Clark was just a little bit bashful--
And Maggie kept squealing, "Santa!!! Santa!!!" (It totally reminded me of Buddy the Elf).
After the picture opps, we then went on to other activities--namely, eating a ridiculous amount of delicious breakfast food and trying to keep my kids from treating the inflatable Christmas decorations as their own personal bounce houses (it wasn't always successful) while socializing with just a few of the totally awesome people in my ward.
After a while, Santa got up to leave, which happened to be at same time I was in the hallway leading outside, looking for someone to ask about the program. I noticed Jack quietly watching Santa from a distance and watched as he started to follow Santa as he went out the outside doors. My instinct told me what Jack was trying to do, and I stopped him:
"Hey, Jack! Can you come help me over in this other room away from those glass doors that Santa just left out of?"
He obediently followed me, and as we walked, I asked nonchalantly, "So--Whatcha doin'?"
He turned towards me excitedly, a big grin on his face. "I just wanted to see Santa get in his sleigh!"
I laughed under my breath and thanked my lucky stars that I'd happened to catch him before he saw Santa climb into a very average-looking SUV, as there would have been a lot of explaining to do had that happened.
Reminds me of the conversation in "Elf" that Buddy has with his adopted elf father:
"Who do they think puts the presents under the tree?!"
"Well, there's a rumor that the parents do that."
"That's--that's just ridiculous!!"
You see, Buddy and me--we're on the same page here.
Do your kids believe in Santa?
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