This Magic Santa Moment: When Your Kids Still Believe

“Mommy, Bobby said that parents are the ones who actually give us gifts on Christmas…not Santa.” And just like that it began. This was the first of many conversations my children and I have had in the past couple weeks regarding the authenticity of Santa. My two oldest children are eight and seven, and I am delighted that at the moment they still believe in Santa Claus.

It was third grade when the bombshell was dropped on me as an eight-year-old. My third-grade teacher just flat out told us that there was no Santa. I thought the world of my teachers and believed every word they said as the gospel, and this news was no exception. I was shocked and disappointed, and like a raving lunatic, my mother pulled a Beverly Goldberg and stormed into the school to share her feelings on the matter. I’m not for sure, but I’m guessing that my parents wanted to be the ones to have that conversation with me.

There is just something magical about the Christmas season, especially if you have children. It only comes once a year, and I for one, like to do it up right. We put up a Christmas tree and hang Christmas lights outside and hide our Elf on the Shelf (when we remember!). My children and I enjoy baking sugar cookies, constructing a gingerbread house, and cuddling up on the couch to catch holiday flicks. We also visit Santa and my littles whisper their Christmas wish lists in his ear. Sometimes Old St. Nick comes to us before the big day, in fact.

Last year at a party that we hosted at our house, an intern from my husband’s office came dressed as Santa with presents for the little ones. That night my daughter saw a tag sticking out of his Santa hat, and thus, the questions flew. My husband and I ended up telling her that she would see many different Santa Clauses around town during the holidays, but the true Santa only travels on Christmas Eve. That seemed to satisfy her. Of course at an office party just last week, she blurted out that the Santa Claus whom was there that evening was a fake. My husband immediately whispered to her to explain that she shouldn’t shout that out in front of kids who are younger than her because they might see him differently. This is simply out of respect for other parents.

Let me stop right here to say that it wasn’t until last year that I realized that some parents never acknowledge Santa at Christmas. I have some friends who have never done the Santa thing at their homes. That is fine. To each his or her own, BUT to that parent: Please have a conversation with Suzie and tell her that there are a lot of kids who do believe in Santa. Please tell Suzie to not argue the point with my son or daughter who still believes. I realize that I cannot control all of the information that my children hear while they are away from me. Part of being a parent is thinking on your feet and answering the tough questions or admitting to your children that you don’t know all of the answers.  As long as my children believe in the beard, however, I am going to play along. Children are expected to grow up too fast in today’s society as it is, knowing a lot more than I ever did at their ages. I intend on letting them be little right now and cultivating their imaginations by making Santa a part of Christmas.

We don’t just celebrate Santa at our house. We emphasize that Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. As Christians, it is a pretty big holiday for us since the premise of the day is that Jesus, our savior, was born to Mary and Joseph in a stable over 2,000 years ago. My husband and I have made it clear that Santa is big but Jesus is much bigger.

I know that one day that bell will stop ringing, and they won’t believe in Santa anymore (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to watch The Polar Express, one of our favorite movies). Recently, I’ve been feeling like this might be the last year, at least for my oldest two. This makes me sad, but it is inevitable.

A recent children’s book I read to my three has given me a great idea for how to handle it when they figure this whole thing out. The book is called, Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Clause. In a nutshell, Virginia is struggling with her beliefs in Santa, so she writes to the local newspaper to ask about his existence. The newspaper editor writes back to her and says that he does exist. He goes on to say that as long as there is love, kindness, and generosity in the world, he will exist. I want my kids to remember that. Sometimes in the world in which we live, it is easy to see the bad, negative, and ugly because those stories make headlines, but there is beauty in how loving, kind, and generous people are. My desire is for them to live out that story, especially at Christmastime.

So yes, Colton, Josey, and Wyatt, there is a Santa Claus. Don’t stop believing! I sure won’t.