The question of Santa, Is he real, is a very tough question for most parents. Do you tell your amazing son or daughter the “truth” or do you fudge a little to keep the tradition? My husband Joe and I had this dilemma, just like every parent out there. How do you explain Santa without disappointing the child you love??? On top of that, we didn’t want to take away from the real story of Christmas, the birth of Jesus. To make matters worse, we had a son who was very inquisitive. Jonathan, our oldest had already started questioning things no six year old should be asking. Joe and I knew it was a matter of time before he asked, Is Santa Real?

Thankfully, (TYG), my mother-in law was there when Jonathan asked the Santa question. We were at her house for Christmas and standing in her kitchen when my six year old blurted out, “Mom is Santa real.” Utter dread must have shown on my face. Holy Crap…not that Crap is anything holy, what do I do? I remember really being terrified. If I disappoint him, will he hate me? Does this mean he will never have joy in his life at Christmas, all because of me?? A little dramatic, I know, but I was scared. Whatever I say, he will believe. Whatever I tell him, he will defend just because I, his mommy, told him. At that moment my mother-in-law stepped in. It was God sent. She stepped in and even though you hate family members somewhat taking over, I was so relieved.

What she did, in answering that question, was so amazing, and I know I stood there open mouthed. She asked Jonathan, “Are you sure you want to know?” He looked at her with such excitement, “Yes Grandma, I want to know…the truth.” And that is exactly what she told him. The truth about Santa Claus

“Yes Jonathan, there is a Santa.” And She went on……(sorry not for young eyes to see, but the explanation is amazing and is now in the book.)  I remember thinking this explanation is so simple and so utterly true. She went on to tell him about the first Santa, Nicholas of Myra and how a very special, somewhat secret club began. The Santa Club.

That night Jonathan stayed up and helped me with all of his younger brother Jameson’s presents. He went to bed very proud that he now was a member of The Santa Club. The following year, when his brother asked that fateful question, Jonathan stepped in and told the story that his Grandma told the year before. The story of The Santa Club.

So for those of you who wanted to know how it began, here it is. In our house, on that day, a new tradition began. The tradition that we call, The Gift of Giving. Since then we incorporate the message of The Santa Club in our everyday life. Sometimes The Gift of Giving ends with some funny consequences. But no matter what we wouldn’t live any other way. Thanks for asking.

Kelly Moss

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 7th, 2010 at 2:52 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.