Santa

The past couple of days have been quite good. I've actually been getting some school work done, and before I noticed, I'm almost finished for the break. When has THAT every happened?

Today I did another thing I've never done before:

I wrote a letter to Santa.

Why have I not done that before, you might ask. What kind of failed childhood did I lead?

Reasons Why I Have Never Written to Santa:

- I hate writing letters

- When I do write letters, I forget to mail them.

- I did not believe in Santa as a child.

When my dad was little, he believed in Santa. However, there comes a time in every believing child's life when the parents must have that hard conversation about the existence of the nice old guy who sneaks into children's houses on Christmas Eve. My grandparents told my dad that Santa Claus was not really...real.

It crushed my dad. He felt lied to and betrayed. He felt that he could no longer trust his parents. If they had so faithfully lied to him about Santa, why should he believe them when they said talking to strangers was dangerous? Or that one shouldn't pet stray dogs? Or that it was necessary to look both ways when crossing the street?

Because of that deeply traumatic experience, my dad was very determined that his children would not believe in Santa. Although I missed the magic of the reindeer and North Pole and elves, I think my dad made a good call. My sister probably wouldn't have had a problem with being abruptly disillusioned at some point, but I think I would have reacted the way my dad did.

God knows I have trust issues enough already. Imagine what I might be like if the rug of my parents' trust had been yanked out from under me in third grade?

*shudder* Merry Five Days 'Til Christmas, y'all. I'll let you know if Santa answers my requests, although I'm not sure they fit the description of what the jolly old elf is allowed to bring.

~Stephanie