Earlier this week, while the kids were in school, I began the task of Christmas gift wrapping. I stood at my kitchen island and got a jump on one of my least favorite jobs of the season.
Though a perfectionist, in most aspects of my life, I prefer to just get it done, as opposed to a perfectly adorned package. Well, at least where presents are concerned.
Heh.As I cut, folded, and taped, I got lost in my own thoughts. I recalled the time when W. recognized that his gifts from Santa were wrapped in the paper that I had purchased from Target a few days earlier.
"Mommy, you must be Santa because you wrapped these!" He accused.
I, a true Believer who will
NEVER, willingly, admit to any child that Santa is a fake, quickly concocted a story to ease his mind.
"I buy the wrapping paper for Santa," I explained. "If he put wrapped gifts on a sleigh and then flew them all around the world they'd be torn to shreds!"
He looked at me suspiciously, "He can't have enough time to wrap them at our house!"
"He doesn't do it silly! While he is eating the milk and cookies you left for him, his elves wrap the gifts!"
He smiled and the day was saved.
W. was also the one to ask me how Santa was able to get into our house because we didn't have a fireplace with a chimney.
Damn kid can't ever make it easy on me. Ahem.
Thus, the tradition of crafting a magic key began. I would cut the shape of a key from card stock and he would decorate it. He would then hang it on the mailbox on Christmas Eve. Only Santa was able to make the key work our lock. And then, in a puff of smoke, the key disappeared.
As we added children to our brood, we'd have three keys for Santa. The
lie explanation was that Santa needed one from each child who lived in the house for the magic to work. The reality was that my kids couldn't work together on one key. A few years ago my Aunt gave the kids an actual "Santa Key" to hang outside before they go to bed.
And so, again, the spirit of St. Nick was preserved.
Now tell me, what's your holiday white lie?
(I had full intentions of posting this on Christmas Eve and actually thought I had...but I guess that bottle of wine or so killed off those memory brain cells.)
(I had full intentions of posting this on Christmas Eve and actually thought I had...but I guess that bottle of wine or so killed off those memory brain cells.)
