I’m worried that this might be the last year my sons believe in Santa. Based on all the trash talking Bird has learned in third grade, I am just waiting for some little shit kid to burst the Santa bubble. He will pounce out of the school hallway and shriek to me that SANTA ISN’T REAL. I can just see it now. He’s going to ruin Christmas for every little kid standing outside of the school. He’s going to tell Deal, who might not buy it since he questions most everything his big brother tells him, buying me some more time. I know Bird wants to believe. He does. I just hope that the kids in school, especially the ones with older siblings, don’t ruin it.
As it is, the kid is doubting the Tooth Fairy. He has been known to trick the Tooth Fairy and snare her in a trap. But the Tooth Fairy, at least the one who visits our house, is too clever to fall for his antics. Bird has tucked a shark tooth into his tooth pillow, the fluffy felt thing he made in preschool to tuck under his pillow. He also wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy and tucked it under his pillow, sans tooth. Among his questions was why does she take the teeth. Little does he know that all his teeny tiny baby teeth are in a pink organza pouch in my sock drawer. I have devised a plan to make him believe. I created a Tooth Fairy email address and responded to all his questions. He bought it. I created more work for myself. Clearly I believe in the Tooth Fairy because I capitalize her name.
My stand on Santa is that we all believe. Period. I’ve never been specific about exactly what we believe, but the spirit of the holidays are indeed magical because we believe. Now I realize that Christmas isn’t about Santa, despite what one trip to the mall might convey. But we are still struggling with God and Jesus stories here so while we do talk about the “real” meaning of Christmas and even go to the living Nativity at the church down the street, we admittedly are more about the giving and joy and festivities than we are about baby Jesus. It’s complicated. And anyway, that’s not the kind of believing I’m talking about here.