Naked Santa
We’ve been off doing a few Christmas related things lately – making Christmas lists, visiting Santa and wrapping gifts to send in the mail to family and friends. Throughout it all, Franklin seems to be a little… cynical.
I don’t know when I stopped believing in Santa Claus. I certainly don’t have a memory of being cynical about the whole thing and wondering why my parents were putting up a charade. I didn’t have friends who broke the news to me or teased me that I still believed. There is a family story that I decided to enlighten my Catechism class one Sunday and made everyone cry. I have no real memory of saying this specifically but I do remember standing up in class and saying something that made my teacher look pretty tired.
But that could have been about anything.
I think there are questions this year though. I think he’s on to us. This evening I pulled out some gift wrap I didn’t know I had and proceeded to wrap a gift for my nephew. Merrily I go, thanking Franklin for picking out such a wonderful gift, passing the tape to Eliza so she could “HELP!” and thanking Solstice that we are now done the Christmas shopping save for my brother’s gift that will not be available until the new year and who lives in Switzerland and so would never get it on time anyway.
As an aside, have you ever tried to mail something to Geneva?
Holy shipping costs, batman! It’s like I’m trying to send Flat Stanley or something.
Anyways, yes. I’m merry and happy and congratulating myself on doing all my window shopping online, comparing prices and making decisions from the comfort of my dining room table, calling ahead, reserving the gift and dashing in and out of the store. This is my perfect way to shop. I would do this for my grocery shopping too if it was at all practical.
But then Franklin takes a closer look at the wrapping paper I’m using. The one I chose last year to only wrap certain gifts with – the gifts from Santa. I forgot about that. In fact, I think I have probably forgotten about that every single year but it only this year that he noticed anything.
And commented.
I had nothing to say but that we have so many kinds of wrapping paper (we don’t) and that it’s always hard to tell one kind from another (it’s not) and that I wasn’t really sure it was the same because wouldn’t that be impossible?!?
Then he gave me a little half smile / half look of confusion.
I am crushed. Not because he’s growing up and will now become one of the cynical “Santa gives more to rich kids” people because, dude, if that’s what you’re spouting then you’re doing Santa all wrong in your house.
I’m crushed because I can see the confusion and I can see him working it all out and I just want the conversation to happen, already! I want to talk about it but I think he should be the one to bring it up first.
I’m also crushed because this is one of many times that he will look at me and think, “Mom, you are either delirious or full of it.”
Yes darling, I usually am both of those things.
And while we are on the topic, don’t believe anyone who tells you they aren’t.
Our daughter has been outright angry about the whole Santa thing this year. She wants to know WHY grown ups perpetuate such nonsense. (In fact, she is so angry about it that she won’t even listen to our explanations.) Of course she has also declared herself an atheist so I shouldn’t really be surprised. At least she hasn’t spoiled it for her cousin… yet.
I don’t recall when I put two and two together but I know I was younger than she is now. I held on to the game because my brother was three years younger but then a friend ruined it for him (man, that friend was in the dog house a loooong time). I remember him running into the house in tears, demanding to be told that his friend was wrong. Heartbreaking.
Cheryl, I don’t think I will actually tell Franklin Santa isn’t real. I can’t because we never really gave him the mall narrative to begin with.
Santa has a different kind of entity in our house and he isn’t really connected to gifts as much as the myth of Santa; which is beautiful and valuable. There is one small gift that comes from Santa every year though and this is the part he is figuring out. However, since I believe Santa is real in a different way than the Rich Kids Get Gifts, I need to explain my feelings to him. But I want him to ask first.
I’m sorry kiddo is angry about it. However, I suppose that is what happens at a certain age – things become black and white. You either DO or you DON’T, you are either BAD or you are GOOD. There is either a God or there isn’t. All part of growing up. I remember being in that stage. It was later than kiddo but she’s always been pretty mature.
Has she seen this movie?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1741225/
of course there is a Santa – in our hearts. I just wish we could embrace Santa all year long. The true christian celebtation of Christ mass starts on Christmas Day and last till Epiphany(12 days). The Mad men and women convinced us to celebrate christmas from thanksgiving till December 31th.
What a timely post, as this is happening at my house too. I remember my brother hinting that Santa couldn’t possibly go to all of those houses in one night, but I still believed. I am reluctant to face it head on, I am sort of skirting the issue right now. And now it is all complicated by the fact that I am going to my sister’s for Christmas, and at their house, the adults all get stockings, which Max hasn’t seen before. How the heck will I explain that?!
When I saw a framed cross stich at a craft sale that stated “as for this home, we believe in Santa”, I thought it said it all. A home that believes always has more fun. In fact, my niece (age 20) and nephew (age 23) STILL get a gift from Santa as does my sister. It is a long standing tradition in their family. In regards to the wrapping paper and tags- my sister always got some from a coworker – no chance of finding it in her house the next year. And she got a coworker to write the names too – less chance of being busted. Keep the mystery and excitement of Santa alive for as long as possible. (and by the way, my niece and nephew do know what is going on, it is just a cool tradition….)