When It’s Time to Talk About Santa
Our children are scattered from 8 to 22. This means that we have to cater to certain situations and events to fit each of their ages and stages in life.
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Where our oldest is married and about to graduate from college, our youngest still believes in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.
Herein lies the delicate issue of making sure that even the youngest child is able to live through as many years of holiday magic as the others.
And, so far, it’s looking good.
Time to Talk About Santa
But, we did officially have that sit-down talk with one more this year. Jaci just recently turned 12. Sure, she’s known the truth for a couple of years, but we never sat down to really talk about Santa.
This year, I called her into my bedroom and asked for her thoughts on St. Nick.
“Mom.” she said, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”
In a way, I was incredibly sad to hear the words I already knew she would say.
There’s something about the innocence of childhood that is found in the magic of Santa Claus.
Yet, after hearing her view on the subject, I introduced her to the sweet book, “Love, Santa” by Martha Brockenbrough and Illustrated by Lee White.
In a series of letters, a young girl writes to Santa to ask about the North Pole, Mrs. Claus, and of course, Christmas goodies. Year after year, Santa writes back, and a heartwarming relationship develops, until one year, the girl writes to her mother instead: Mom, are you Santa? Her mother responds to say that no, she is not Santa. Because Santa is bigger than any one person — we bring him out through kindness to one another and the power of imagination. This transformative tale spins a universal childhood experience into a story about love, giving, and the spirit of Christmas.
I sat beside her as she read through the book, gently pulling each letter out of its envelope, slipping it back inside, and turning the page.
My eyes swelled with tears as Jaci read Mom’s words to Lucy,
“I imagine you will do this some day for your own children.”
This is our hope, right? We pass down these fabulous traditions to our children so that they can one day pass them down to their children.
Our grandchildren.
That through the spirit of Santa, our children can learn the art of giving, the understanding of faith in things we cannot see, and the meaning of selfless love.
As Mom writes in her last letter to Lucy,
“Santa is bigger than any one person.”
Have you had the talk about Santa?
Are you preparing to have this talk? Look for Love, Santa in stores now and let this series of letters help lead the way. It’s perfect for kids ages 6-11… and their parents!