As your kids get older, it gets more and more difficult to live the jolly ho-ho lie. They start asking about the logistics of Santa covering so much territory in so little time. There is also the issue of time zones. If you’re not super sneaky, your little detectives soon figure out that mama and Santa have the same handwriting and wrapping paper. Then there are those tough questions around why we have to be charitable when Santa gives gifts to all the children of the world. Your more observant children may inquire as to why there are tags on some toys. Don’t the elves make them?
Since we have big kids followed closely by a handful of little ones in our family, I’m committed to perpetuating the myth. I find it truly obnoxious when big ones blow it for little ones.
Because we are overseas at the moment, I wanted to do the Santa thing before we left. I figured I had to buy stuff to keep them occupied on the plane anyways, so it was a case of two birds, one stone. We wrote to Santa kindly requesting an early present drop off in light of our overseas adventures. Santa obliged and dropped around many maze books, DS games and craft supplies. All went according to plan, but it opened up a whole new kettle of fish in the twenty questions department.
We had a family gathering a couple of days ago and the jolly guy made an appearance. Each child sat on his knee and if their faces could talk, this is what they were saying:
9-year-old: “OK, not exactly sure how you pull this off, but if that present is the latest Captain Underpants book, I’ll believe whatever you want me to.”
7-year-old: “hmmmm……who killed a white rabbit and taped it to your face?”
6-year-old: “I’m confused. I know I’m not supposed to talk to or accept gifts from strangers…..yet here I am sitting on this weird guy’s lap and he’s tickling me and giving me stuff. My parents are taking my picture and look happy. They have serious consistency issues.”
3-year-old: “I’m not going to cry this year, I’m not going to cry this year.”
2-year-old: “get me away from this freak. There is NO way I’m sitting on his lap! AHHHH!”
To add to the excitement, we are staying on a farm so Santa arrived to the party on a tractor. More consistency issues – sled or tractor, which is it folks? OK, so I may not have all the answers but I just pull out the old stand-by: “if you don’t believe, you won’t receive” which usually shuts down any doubters in the crowd.
RSS
RSS
“If you don’t believe, you won’t receive” is about the only way I am able to maintain the myth for my 8 year old with a 15 year old and 13 year old in the house.
Am I a terrible Mom for looking forward to my youngest giving up the whole Santa thing? It’s exhausting!
I don’t think you’re terrible at all….you’ve been living the lie for 15 years!!! It’s a long time. I think that making it to 8 yrs old with your third is a good effort considering there are teenagers in the house.