no room for santa

Has your child asked you the Santa question? My oldest asked it of me this morning in the car. I wasn't sure how to proceed at first, so I just turned the tables on her instead.

"What is Christmas all about?"

"Jesus," she replied.

"So if Christmas is about Jesus, how does Santa fit in?"

"He doesn't. Santa's not real? I've been thinking he wasn't real since I was seven."


Christmas 2009


(She IS seven.)

"No, honey, Santa's not real."

"You and Daddy don't like to get up early, so I thought that's why Santa might be real."

(She means, when on earth would her sleepy parents possibly get up to put gifts under the tree?)

(Long Pause)

"You and Daddy and Nana and PopPop and Grammie and Pappie will still give me presents because you love me. Wait, did you and Daddy give me my pink bike?"

I'd say she's on to a thing or two, wouldn't you? She knows that JESUS is the reason for the season, and she knows that love sometimes equals gifts. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?