Saturday, December 11, 2010

Santa Breakfast...

In a couple of minutes I'll be bringing the kids to the PTA's Annual "Santa Breakfast". They have pancakes and sausages, lots of toppings and syrup, then crafts afterwards for the kids to assemble. Of course, Santa will be there, listening to what all the boys and girls would like for Christmas, with Mom and Dad listening attentively off to the side, cameras popping and ideas forming.

There's only two weeks until Christmas, which means the kids are bouncing off the walls with excitement, counting down the days and hours until Santa comes and fills their stocking and gives them presents. This is the first year that TheBoy hasn't believed, another bittersweet milestone along the road to adulthood. It was inevitable, of course; he's a bright kid and started wondering about the logistics of one person visiting every home across the world in one night, that sort of thing, and finally asked outright. We explained the concept of the spirit of Christmas, how we've all got a bit of Santa inside us; how the magic of Christmas keeps the idea of Santa alive.

He doesn't get it, of course; right now all he knows is that he's in on the secret and his sister isn't. We've asked him not to spoil it for her, but there are no threats behind it - she's going to find out sooner or later, and there's little sense delaying the inevitable. If we can make it through this year with one believer in the family, that's good enough for me - we'll take next year as it comes. For now, we're just happy that there's a little Christmas magic left.

And that there's only two weeks of the craziness left.

That is all.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Officially", ours claimed to believe up until 13yrs old.
Unofficially I suspect he knew around age 10 or sooner, but was afraid if he admitted it he would get less gifts because he would no longer get all the presents from Santa as well as everyone else.

Lokidude said...

Hopefully he'll come back to belief someday. I'm 28, and back to believing. Not necessarily in a red-suited fat dude. Just an ideal. It's part of my "ray of freaking sunshine" thing.

Ancient Woodsman said...

Said it before and I'll say it again: you are an awesome daddy.

And that's the way it's supposed to be. We had kids late in life - 5 y.o. and I'm a 'three-digit midget' in the retirement cycle - but even though we can't do everything right you are doing all the right things. Bravo.

Merry Christmas!

Ross said...

Jay,

Try this (heard this from a friend who does it): Explain that once he "knows the secret", Santa has deputized him to as his helper to act as a Santa to all those who don't know yet.

Seemed to work for my friends.

WV:mosess. Mosess' follower Ross had a hard time explaining how he knows about Santa and keeping the secret...