Santa Claus

The kids had their first experience (at least that Debbie will remember) with Santa Claus yesterday morning. You'll notice that there aren't any pictures, and that's because the experience wasn't necessarily a good one. First, I had been teasing Debbie a few days earlier and asking her if she was sure Santa was real, and telling her I didn't think he was real [bad mommy, I know!], and she got really defensive and claimed very vehemently that "He is real." So, at the ward party when Santa walked in, she stood there shocked, watching him and suddenly said, "Ha! He IS real!!" It was cute. I guess I had placed real doubts in her mind and she was glad to realize that she was right.

We went up with the rest of the kids to see him and the kids starting piling on his lap. At first I think Debbie was okay with sitting on his lap, but then he kept reaching around her picking up all the other kids. Soon she came over to me and said that she didn't want to sit on his lap, but she did want a candy cane and I told her that was fine, [I have no problem with my kids not wanting to sit on a strange old man's lap] she should just tell him that she didn't want to sit on his lap but could she please still have a candy cane. So she ran up to him to tell him that and I guess he didn't understand what she was trying to tell him because he continued to ignore her. So then she came back to me even more bummed and I encouraged her to try again, so she went up a little more timidly and waited for him and then tried to talk to him again and he nudged her out of the way so he could get another kid. [Needless to say, by this time I was a little irritated with Santa] So she ran off crying and didn't want to have anything to do with him, but she still really wanted that candy cane. After waiting for everyone else to be done, I took Isaac up and waited in line again and physically took Isaac up to Santa [Isaac didn't want to sit on his lap either] and asked him to give Isaac a candy cane and could I get one for his sister too. I gave Debbie her candy cane and then told her that she needed to go tell Santa 'thank you' but she didn't want to, so I carried her up there, kicking and screaming, and she refused to even look at him by this time, not that I blame her. So, it wasn't the best experience but I was okay with that.

I realized that Santa is really a stranger to the kids because Chad and I don't ever talk about him. When we ask what they would like for Christmas we don't mention Santa, we don't have any pictures of him up, and we haven't made a big deal about him coming. Honestly, I've told Debbie in the past and I'll tell her again, that it doesn't matter if she's good or not, she's going to get presents on Christmas morning. Chad wants to straight up tell the kids that Santa's not real, but I don't agree with that. The reason we haven't made a big deal of Santa is because we want the kids to not forget the true meaning of Christmas. But I want my kids to enjoy the magic of Christmas, and the idea of Santa is magical; and he is real in a sense, because it doesn't matter who Santa is, just that he is.

And don't worry, last night Debbie had already forgotten her bad experience with Santa.