(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 who wouldn’t? 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 from the very top of their wish lists! Sometimes, he even left them a little 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, holding a video camera, quietly 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, we chatted, laughed, and enjoyed ourselves.
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 slowly made his way down.
Oh no! We couldn’t let him see the table! My husband and Bob were completely stunned at that moment—there was no way they could hide that huge thing. Without thinking, I ran to Ben.
As I got close, I realized—he was sleepwalking.
Whew! That was close! After I gently guided him back to bed, we all let out a long sigh of relief.
The next morning, Ben 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 children grow, they natually begin to question the mysteries of Santa, and eventually, they figure it out. We could only hope that day wouldn’t come too soon.
I still remember how Ben uncovered the truth. It was just after he turned ten. That Christmas, we went to Disney, and before leaving, my husband had carefuly placed 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 found Ben sitting on the floor with a thoughtful expression.
What went wrong? My husband and I exchanged a look. 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 were 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, 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.