Oh Santa, I'm Going To Miss You...

Chas figured Santa out sometime back, and last year confessed to us that He Knew It Was Us. He immediately joined us in the continuation of the Santa Magic, acting convincingly excited and asking "Will he come? Wait! Are those jingle bells I hear??"

Dad and Sean used to go around the house on Christmas Eve night with a long pole with Jingle Bells attached to it. "No, don't do that THERE, Rudolph!" they would say in a fluffy bearded voice. That totally fools very small kids, who sit suddenly up in bed wide-eyed and when I say *GASP!* "Quick! Pretend to be asleep!" they fall to their pillows like a bag of bricks and lie ABSOLUTELY STILL while we grownups go and giggle in the kitchen. Eating half a carrot and two pieces of fudge and three quarters of a glass of something.

This year, Sam has lost the Santa Awe. He, too, has joined the family in keeping it alive for Max, but it's tough going. I KNOW that Max will not be fooled for much longer (if he IS truly still fooled, or is he simply uncertain and covering his bases? Or does he KNOW and they are all keeping it up out of concern for their ninja parents? "They're so sweet" the boys are probably telling one another, "look at their faces! Let's give them just one more year...").

This may be our last truly magical Santa Season, one way or another.

And what will become of us? Will our sneaky ninja present-hiding skillz become obsolete? I love knowing that, behind the craft supplies and ugly sweaters on the top shelf, there are hidden treasures. I love that on Christmas Eve night we all go to sleep, too excited to think! and when we wake up in the morning Santa has BEEN! I love grumbling sleepily "five more minutes... Who? Santa? HE CAME??!" when boys jump on the bed to five a.m.

I remember the way Santa gradually became less believable for me, and I feel sad for kids whose parents would "never lie to their children" and kill the Myth. Never lie to your kids? Really? That is so BORING! Where is your magic? Where is your creativity? Did Hammy the Hamster really run away to live in the garden with the fairies or did the cat eat him and vomit him up on the bathroom rug? And what IS that thing in your bedside drawer, huh? Yikes!






Comments

Unknown said…
Well, if you've been unwise enough to leave it in the bedside drawer, then perhaps you deserve to have to answer that question.
BlueBella said…
Oh honey here's to at least ONE more year of Santa magic for you!

This is our first real year of Santa magic so I totally get where you're coming from. It's precious!

And I'm with LceeL . . .and does it have a name? haah
Nan Sheppard said…
P.S. Will it snow? Will it? I CAN'T STAND THE SUSPENSE! I have to remind myself that I chose Bournemouth BECAUSE IT NEVER SNOWS HERE! Sigh.
Nan Sheppard said…
P.P.S. I'm ignoring those questions!
Theresa said…
Zara called the thing in the bedside drawer a lollipop. I'm all for encouraging her imagination!
Just dawned on me today that we get a second chance to start all over! :-)
Anonymous said…
My sister told me Santa was mom & dad and proved it by telling me what my present was. However she had me TOTALLY convinced that fairies were real and lived in mom's orchids. What the???...

:)
vicki
Nan Sheppard said…
Oh Vicki, I believed in Fairies MUCH longer than I believed in Santa... Come to think of it, I STILL believe in Fairies!
Anonymous said…
I keep hanging on to Santa, and so far 2 of my 3 boys are, too.