The tradition continues…my grandson, 13-month-old Luka Jr., sitting with Santa (December 2023).
Santa is such a huge part of the festivities and celebrations of Christmas. The movies, stories, decorations…all seem to involve the jolly bearded gift giver.
Now, I don’t remember actually believing, not believing, or any “discovery” events.
I do admit that I did know that mom was the holiday gift buyer–on several occasions, I did find my Christmas gifts before December 25. But it didn’t bother me that they were supposedly from Santa.
I will also confess that I appreciated that my sister was 5 1/2 years younger than me. So I figured that I had to keep up appearances so that she would believe as long as possible. I figured that as long as at least one of us believe, the presents from Santa would continue to come.
And then, somehow, I grew up and had my own children, and the holidays continued to roll around. Shows about Santa continued to air on t.v. and traditions that I grew up with became traditions that I perpetuated.
Let me pause here to point out that not everyone in our little corner of the world celebrates Christmas. Also, some families have other traditions, such as St. Nicholas putting candy in children’s shoes on December 5th or 6th…
So, when I taught First Grade, and my 6-year-old students would ask questions about the existence of Santa, I developed a little speech to explain the concept…
“Santa is a tradition. Some families follow the tradition of Santa, others don’t. Families around the world follow a variety of festivals and celebrations at this time of the year. Some involve gift giving, others don’t No matter what your family’s culture or tradition, it is a special time of year for many families in our school and our community.”
I think this little speech is a beautiful example of “If you can’t blind them with your brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”
To tell you that this explanation was ALWAYS effective is not overstating the truth.
Now, when my child–Luka–at the age of 6 asked me about the truth of the existence of the HoHoHo man, I was ready.
I remember it like it was yesterday. We were in the kitchen, he was sitting at the counter. I was standing across from him. When he asked the question, my teacher brain, after years of experience, kicked right in. I gave him my words of wisdom as I had done every year with my students.
Then, still in teacher mode, as he sat silently, the gears turning in his brain, I decided to see what he took from my wisdom. So, after a moment of silence, I asked, “OK Luka, where do the presents come from that we get under the tree on Christmas?”
He sat, not speaking for at least 10 seconds. Then suddenly, like all the lights in a house turning on at the same time and lighting up the windows at night, he confidently proclaimed, “The tooth fairy!”
“I love you, Luka,” I smiled, walked around to the other side of the counter, and hugged my sweet little boy.
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