(introduction: Christmas is a time filled with magic, especially for children. I have many treasured Christmas memories with my boys who were enchanted by the mystery of Santa Claus. But as time passed, some moments started to shift in unexpected ways, reminding us how quickly children grow up.)
“… Santa Claus is coming to town…” (music)
If you ask young children what their favorite holiday is, I bet most would excitedly shout, ‘Christmas!’ The reason is obvious—kids love Santa Claus, and what’s not to love? After all, Santa brings them exactly what they want!
When my two boys, Ben and Owen, were small, they were completely enchanted by this mysterious, magical figure. Every Christmas Eve, they would carefully prepare cookies and milk for Santa, placing their wish lists beside the treats before going to bed.
The next morning, the first thing they’d do was rush downstairs—eager to see what Santa had delivered. Of course, dear Santa never disappointed them. He always brought something right at the top of their wish lists! Sometimes, Santa even left them a thank-you note for the thoughtful snacks.
While they unwrapped their presents with excitement, they didn’t realize that dear “Santa” was actually hiding somewhere, quietly holding a video camera, watching them with great satisfaction!
But one Christmas, Santa almost had his cover blown.
That year, my older son Ben, who was about eight years old, had one big wish—an air hockey table. He had just started playing hockey and was completely hooked. My husband bought the table but couldn’t set it up without the boys noticing. So, he waited until Christmas Eve, after they’d gone to bed.
We had two close friends, Grace and Bob, over that night. Bob offered to help with this Santa project. While the two men worked, the rest of us chatted, laughed, and had a great time.
Just before midnight, we suddenly heard movements upstairs. Hush! Everyone froze, holding their breath.
Next, we saw Ben standing at the top of the stairs. His eyes were wide open, and he was murmuring something as he started to come down.
Oh no! We couldn’t let him see the table! My husband and Bob were completely stunned in that instant—there was no way they could hide that huge thing. Without thinking, I ran to Bennett.
That’s when I realized—he was sleepwalking!
Whew! That was close! After I escorted him back to bed, we all let out a long sigh of relief.
The next morning, Bennett woke me up, bursting with excitement. “Mom! Santa brought me a hockey table!”
I looked at him, feeling amused: didn’t I know it? This young fellow had almost broken into Santa’s secret factory!
Did Ben ever doubt how this magic happened? I’m not sure. But as kids grow up, they begin to question the mysteries of Santa, and eventually, they figure it out.
We hoped that day wouldn’t come too soon. But I still remember how Ben uncovered the truth.
It was just after he turned 10. That Christmas, we went to Disney. Before leaving, my husband put their presents under the tree. As we anticipated, when we returned home, the boys ran straight to the tree.
But instead of the excitement we expected, we saw Ben sitting on the floor with a thoughtful expression.
What went wrong? My husband and I looked at each other. We had bought him something from his wish list.
Later, Ben told us he had written to Santa asking for a blank piece of paper. He figured—if Santa was real, it would be the easiest gift to deliver!
Finding out the truth about Santa is part of growing up. While my husband and I were prepared for this, we still felt a tinge of sadness in that moment—for Ben, and for ourselves.
It marked the end of something magical in his childhood—something we knew we could never get back.
Discover more from iwant2write
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.