Over the weekend Bunny grilled me about Santa. We were snuggled up in the livingroom in front of the fire chatting about stuff and she was all questions:
Will Santa come down our chimney?
But, how will he come down our chimney?
Will he leave Christmas presents under our tree?
Will we get a tree?
And does he live in the North Pole? With Rudolph?
Where is the North Pole? Is it far?
For those killjoy parents who skip the whole Santa myth with their children, if you could have been there to see the delight on Bunny's face while we were talking, and to listen to the quality of the conversation, you might re-think your position. Y'all's kids are going to be the ones that ruin it for the other kids on the playground by telling them there is no Santa. You realize that, right? I mean, it is a right of passage yadda yadda, and one that obviously left me scarred for life (/eye roll...I don't actually remember when I found out Santa wasn't real, but I still remember believing in him and how nice and warm that felt.).
No matter how much you tell your littlie to keep his or her mouth shut, he or she will tell. I know this because I was a teacher and I've seen it with my own eyes. You will be shocked because you will have spent your kid's entire life raising him or her with "integrity," but on the playground? All bets are off. I'm telling you this now so you aren't upset later. (Just think back to some of the crap things you said to your school chums even though you knew better.)
Bunny is fascinated by Santa, and it's funny because we've kind of followed her lead on this one. The minute she figured out that he brings presents to the "nice kids," we jumped on that band wagon. But that's just our (parenting) style.
The way that Bunny hugged Santa as if he was a long lost family member when we saw him melted my heart. I can't imagine denying my child that joyful feeling. It's one of the times I am happy to indulge. I know that not all kids like Santa. He can be frightening. But, parents—prepare your kids for god's sakes before plopping them on St. Nick's lap.
We were warned by experienced parents that our kids would cry on Santa's lap every year until they were four. So far, not the case for either girl. They don't smile, but they aren't crying.
