Do you ever feel like you are lying to your kids when you start talking about Santa and the elves? How about the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny?
I go back and forth on the issue, to be honest with you. Lots of times, as I am sharing the story of how Santa has his toy shop at the North Pole or how the "elves" visit us regularly before Christmas Day, I feel guilty about sharing these stories with my kids. What's going to happen when the truth is revealed? Will the trust factor immediately diminish between Evan and Ella and myself? Or, will they understand that some of the Christmas magic that they experienced was from these stories?
I don't know.
What I do know is that I have been telling them - and it's fun! I do love to see the glimmer in my kids' eyes when they think of the magical way that the elves and Santa transport themselves. Evan tells the story even better than I do. He is so expressive in the way he tells it. His eyes are large with excitement and the slight lisp created from his missing and loose front teeth doesn't stop him one bit. Ella chirps in her high pitched voice, "Thank you, Elves!" It is exciting.
My parents and my wife's parents keep reminding us that we were told the same stories and we came out OK. In fact, I still get presents from my mom labeled "From: Santa" each year. It's still fun for her and it is for me, too.
So, the stories will keep coming until I get the please-give-me-the-honest-truth question from one of my kids - "Is Santa real?"
When that happens (and seemingly to some of my fifth graders it has yet to happen), I will set my child down and tell them in a very serious and loving way . . . "Go ask your mother."
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2 comments:
I was about to say the same thing as your parents - we survived. I don't remember it being a big crushing blow or spoiling my trust with my parents. There will be plenty of other reasons for them to get mad at us over the years. Santa probably won't be one of them.
I don't really remember when I found out. I'm sure my brother told me long before I was ready. That's the hard part... when the older sibling tells the younger and they come running to you, "Daddy, Even said Santa wasn't real!!!" in a tattling voice.
Good luck!!!
Love how you will pass it off on Laure. Nice. You could do what Laura Cresap does and tell them the gifts come from the 3 wise men who get to their house on camels! My issue was how to incorporate Jesus into the whole Santa thing, and in a very roundabout way, we are-- the kids get 3 Santa gifts since Jesus got three gifts from the wise men. In any case, we'll deal with Santa when we need to. For now, it's so fun!
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