Santa Claus

This is a spoiler. Don’t read on if you are under 10.

I was 6 years old when I stopped believing in Santa Claus.

At school, we were talking about Santa Claus and this boy had the audacity to say, “My dad told me there is no such thing as Santa Claus.”

Imagine 30 first graders grasping in disbelief. “No! That’s not true. Your dad’s a liar!”

When I went home later that night, I recounted the story to my parents.

“This boy at school said that Santa Claus wasn’t real!” To which my dad replied, “He’s not.”

Everything was downhill from there.

Now while I know Santa Claus isn’t a real person, I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus. Each of us can be the Santa in someone’s life. Either through secret Santa, participating in food drives, or offering up service to the people we know.

I don’t think having kids believe in Santa destroys them, or gives them unrealistic expectations about life. Anyone can take time this Christmas to teach their children the true meaning of Christmas and how we all can exemplify the person this celebration is for.