So long Santa..............

While I have tried to teach my son the true meaning of Christmas, I have always taken some delight in keeping with the "Santa tradition". There is something magical and warming watching little ones get excited. Every year I figure it will be the last year, certain that some "know-it-all" kid will spoil it for him. This year he turned 9 and much to my surprise he still anticipated Santa's arrival, leaving milk and cookies and being careful to leave enough carrots for the reindeer. With all that has happened to us in the last month, it felt good and wonderful to feed off his excitement. When he woke in the morning thrilled that again mysteriously the jolly man had snuck in and snuck out undetected. With Christmas over and a wrap, my son sat next to me "I knew he would come, some kids say hes not real that its really moms and dads, but I know he is real". I wondered if his being naive will get him picked on in school. I asked him "did he want to ask me something"?, he looked frightened like I was going to give him crushing news- "just tell me he said" then he covered his ears and closed his eyes, and that's when I told him--- Linus in Charlie Brown was wrong there is no "great pumpkin"!!--------- I just could not do it, I could not crush his spirit, he has had a great loss this month with loosing his grandfather and I just could not tell him. He laughed, so hard and told me "well I knew that, I know the truth about the OTHER thing too but we don't need to say it out loud do we?". And that is where we left things, sitting side by side silent on the couch enjoying our beautiful lit tree..........