Ho Ho Ho

How do ya'll feel about Santa Claus?

At my house, when I was a kid, I seem to remember getting most of my presents from Mom, Dad, other relatives, and a couple really sweet presents from Santa Claus. We opened presents at my parents' house on Christmas Eve during my formative years but starting a couple of days before Christmas Eve, presents began to pile up under the tree.

I recall a Christmas Eve at a very young age waiting for Santa to come so we could thank him(?). Mom convinced us after waiting all day that we should take a break, so that evening we left cookies and milk just in case while Mom, Paul and I drove around the neighborhood to look at luminaria and Christmas lights. Dad stayed behind (in case Santa came by I imagine, though this part is fuzzy). When we got home, Dad was fast asleep, the cookies had been eaten, the milk had been drunk, and there was a pile of new presents that hadn't been there when we left. We must have been sleepy and equipped with very poor sense of the passage of time because we didn't question how Dad had fallen so deeply asleep so quickly.

I couldn't tell you any moment where I found out that Santa wasn't "real." I think I probably always knew, the same way I knew about the Tooth Fairy, but Mom and Dad never made a big deal out of Santa, so I didn't feel lied to or mislead when I let go of him.

I can recall two very early influences on my concept of Santa: Sesame Street and Peter Pan the musical. In the Sesame Street Christmas Special, Big Bird is very concerned with whether or not Santa is real. He waits up on the roof in the snow to catch Santa coming down the little apartment chimney. He never sees Santa, but someone brings presents and leaves foot prints in the snow. Peter Pan is memorable because it ingrained in me the idea that magical things can be real but only if you believe in them. Remember when Tinkerbell drinks the poison to save Peter and everyone has to clap to prove they believe in Fairies and she gets better? Well wouldn't I be a jerk if I didn't clap because I was too cool and I KILLED a FAIRY!? Better safe than sorry. And Tink always got better, so I must be doing the right thing.

As I got older, Santa became the name that appeared on "anonymous" gifts. You were always pretty sure who was responsible, but when confronted, the giver would usually look to the heavens and say, "It must have been Santa!" I still think that's fun.

I don't know if it was my mom who said it, or if I heard it somewhere else, but a mom said that she wanted her kids to know that she was responsible for the presents, not some unknown personage they have no relationship outside of Christmas. I think it's good for kids to be grateful to the appropriate people for the gifts they receive, so I'm all for putting names on the gift tags.

But if my kids want to believe in Santa, I'm totally cool with that. I don't intend to lie to them, but I don't see a problem with a little suspension of disbelief. Historically, the story starts with St. Nicolas. He was a good and generous man who gave gifts to people who had nothing (dowries for poor girls being key among them). He brought hope for a bright future and a little bit of holiday cheer to cold houses. I don't think there's anything wrong with having faith in that spirit, believing that it changes things for the better, and bringing it into your own home.

I do think it's just as likely that my kids will wind up getting a totally cool toy from Batman or other "imaginary" figures though.