Do You Believe in Magic?

It's my favorite time of year!! The first part of November feels a little like that time between sleeping and waking... that part where you still remember dreaming. It's the time between hot, sticky summer days and cool, breezy autumn afternoons. It's the time when you take the backroads to work just so you can see the yellows and reds of the leaves on the trees and watch the ones that have already fallen off bluster all around in your rearview mirror when you drive past. It's the time where the Halloween parties are over, the costumes and the decorations have been put away, and yet it's still not quite time to get into the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. It's absolutely perfect! God made this time of year just for me!

But since so many of you are gearing up to go full-speed into the holidays, I thought I'd take a minute to share something with my friends out there that are parents of kids who are at the age where the magic of Christmas is beginning to wane. I have a friend living in Maryland who has 2 children - Lucy, 9 and Alice, 5 - and early last year, Lucy busted the Tooth Fairy wide open. My friend knew it wouldn't be long before Santa Claus was similarly exposed, and she struggled for months with what she would say to Lucy when the subject of the false Santa came up. What she says here is pure parental magic, and it's a wonderful way for parents to expose the real Santa without losing the magic of Christmas... and more importantly, keeping the secret under wraps for younger children. Here's what she wrote on her blog last year:

A few months back, the Tooth Fairy got busted. She left a note for Alice up on her computer, and Lucy figured the whole business out. The Tooth Fairy cursed her need to write notes in elaborate fonts and tried to come up with a cover story, but it didn't fool Lucy. To her credit, Lucy has kept the secret from her little sister, who still hasn't lost a tooth and deserves to wake up with money under her pillow.

But the Tooth Fairy knew it couldn't be long before Santa was similarly unmasked. She didn't know when or how, but she knew the days of magic in her house, at least magic of a certain sort, were coming to an end. And the Tooth Fairy - by which I mean myself - was pretty darned sad about the inevitable, which finally arrived last week.

Lucy and I have been exchanging notes since the school year started. We've talked about all sorts of things - sports, books we'd like to read, adventures we'd like to have, even stories from when I was in third grade. For the most part, though, it's been light, casual stuff. Until last week.

I NEED TO KNOW, she wrote using capital letters for emphasis. ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.

What do you do when your kid asks for the truth? You tell it of course, doing your best to figure out a way to keep at least some of the magic intact. So here's what I wrote:

Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: "Are you Santa?"

I know you've wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I've had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps too.) I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won't make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something that they can't see or touch.

It's a big job, and it's an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents, in your family and in God. You'll also need to believe in things you can't measure or hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he's filled with joy. With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and happiness. I'm on his team and now you are too.

I love you and I always will,

Mama