Catching up

[Murfreesboro]

I taught my kids about Santa, but my husband was not raised in that tradition. My MIL was so hurt when she discovered the truth that she wanted to spare her kids that pain. They also opened all their gifts on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning was spent at church bc she was the church organist.

In my family, church was on Christmas Eve, and Christmas morning was for presents followed by feasting. I insisted on that when our kids came.

It's a conundrum, what to do about Santa. Most kids figure it out by age 8 even if they pretend a little longer. It's not exactly a lie-- there really was a Saint Nicholas who delivered gifts down a chimney, or maybe through a window. I think it's a delightful mythology myself. I love Santa and what he represents. In the long run, though, for me at least, the religious mystery of the incarnation has replaced the magic of Santa. I like to think that my childhood immersion in that magic prepared me for the awe I now feel at the religious mystery.