Santa Is Real---Isn't He?

Santa Is Still Magic For Five More Minutes...
We spent a large portion of Christmas Eve day insulating Katherine and Megan from neighbor children who were determined to ruin the magic of believing in Santa. Their efforts were deliberate and unrelenting...until I intervened.
Historically, in our family, it has been a neighbor child who pushes the "Your parents are really Santa" issue. This year was no exception. I used great self control in not smacking a few children who went as far as to tell Katherine that if she still believed in Santa, they could not be friends. I did, however, speak with them and their parents.
Megan, on the other hand, came inside sobbing with every part of her body to tell me that the kids she was playing with tried to tell her Santa does not exist. It was a hard hit and a reality she was clearly not prepared to deal with.

I kept thinking, "This is Christmas Eve, can we just hang on to the magic for a few more hours, pleeeeeeease." (That is the point I intervened and put the smack down on the nay-sayers) And we did.

Still, I did not have to "come clean" on the Santa issue because neither of them asked me directly. I believe in never lying to my kids regarding Santa if they ask me straight on, but so far, I have not had to lie or even dance around the existence of Santa, Reindeer (after all they pooped on our front porch again this year after they ate the oats), Elves, The North Pole, etc.

Sadly, I must face that this year was it for the "Santa is Real" part of Christmas. Megan is 9 and Katherine is 11. Most 11 year olds are totally in on the "Santa is your parents" reality, yet this innocence and naivety is a blessing of Katherine having Asperger Syndrome. I am not sure she will even grasp the whole Santa-Parents Concept, but Megan will "get it" when she is ready. By next year, she will be a schooled in the "If You Believe~You Receive" Concept along with the Spirit of Santa is Giving.

To this day, I along with my grown children are still 'Believers'.

Once I do share the reality of the Santa-Parents Connection. I am firm in reminding the child how much fun it was to "believe" and that they continue to help the younger children around them enjoy the magic as they were able to.

How Do You Handle The Santa-Parent Connection?

Could you just smack a few nay saying children?