Believe

OK -- I'll just tell you -- I have cried on and off all morning because of a blog I read. It was written by Martha Brockenbrough and you can read it for yourself here: http://www.cozi.com/live-simply/truth-about-santa

Martha is a mother whose oldest child figured out the whole the-Tooth-Fairy-is-a-lie thing and then asked if Santa is real. And it made me realize -- hey -- my oldest is seven years old, nearly eight, and I was eight when I figured out the whole Santa thing. So this year may be the last that Nicholas truly believes in Santa Claus.

At best, I might have one more Christmas after this year with him still Believing.

Every other day or so I say to him, "Stop being tall!" or "Stop growing!" And he always says, "MOM -- I have to grow!"

(sigh)

They don't stay babies forever. From the moment I laid eyes on Nicholas up to this very moment -- this one, right now -- feels like Warp Speed. There is nothing I can do about this. Nicholas is right -- he HAS to grow. That is the way we and all of life are designed. We must grow and change. And we must ask questions, and those questions deserve answers. Honest answers.

In the link to the blog above, Martha Brockenbrough published a letter she wrote to her daughter in response to the question if Santa is real or not. I think it is beautiful and smart, and I was inspired to write a similar answer for my own son.

I really hope I don't have to show this to him any time soon, but I will save it for when the time comes...

You have asked a very big and important
question, and that means you are ready to know The Secret.

Santa Claus is – and was – real. Your dad and I named you after him: Santa Claus and St. Nicholas – they are two names for the same person.

St. Nicholas gave people hope. He gave them something to Believe in. And as you get older, you will learn that we all need something to Believe in. We all need to Believe that even when things are going wrong, or when we think we don’t have all that we need, that there is hope; that there is magic; that there are miracles; that wishes can come true.

Is Santa Claus real?
Yes.

Does he come down the chimney and leave
presents?

No. Your daddy and I are the ones who fill your stockings and leave you presents. We do Santa’s work. Our parents did it for us, and we do it for you and Parker, and someday, you will do it for your children. It is a very big job. We listen to your wishes and dreams and hopes, and we try really hard to make them come
true for you. We know that you BELIEVE, and we hope you always will.

A very wise lady, Martha Brockenbough, once said, “Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand.”

Santa’s work is done by all of us moms and dads (and big brothers and sisters too!) who Believe. Now that you know The Secret, you have the privilege of helping others to Believe. And you also have the responsibility of keeping The Secret, because younger kids like Parker deserve to wonder about the mystery of how Santa’s work gets done. We do these things because we are a family. Because we love one another. Because with and through each other, we can see our hopes
and dreams come true, and we can always Believe.