Christmas morning contained the usual gift and homemade cinnamon roll magic. The extended family arrived around three and Ty made a last-minute trip to the store because I was missing a key dinner ingredient and bought the wrong potato varietal. Ty offered up his finest wines and let Steve and Don uncork whatever their hearts desired. We all partook and had a super fun time making and enjoying the potato pancakes. The kids tore through their gifts and immediately started shooting their archery set. Lizzie broke a champagne flute and Ty spilled wine on our white rug. I love the chaos of a full and happy home.
Chris, Kari and the girls spent the night and we woke up to a blanket of snow.
The day after Christmas Owen started asking questions about Santa. The cousins were here and a lot was going on so I asked him to please wait and assured him that we'd sit down and talk about it after everyone left. He looked at me and said, "I have some questions about Santa and I don't want you to lie to me." I promised I wouldn't.
When we found a quiet moment Ty, Owen, and I sat down in my bedroom with snow outside and sunshine streaming in. He asked if Santa is real and I asked what prompted the question. He went through his investigative report; there are satsumas in the stockings every year, so he counted the ones in our bowl before bed, 26, and again on Christmas Day, 23. The gifts that Santa brought Hazel were available on Amazon, and one thing she didn't get, wasn't.
After he finished sharing his thoughts, we talked about what Santa represents, how the spirit of Christmas is about sharing joy and kindness without wanting anything in return. We asked him what it would change if Santa was an idea more so than a man who lives in the North Pole. We told them that we both believe in the spirit of Christmas, even as adults. He thought on it for a while and we added that the real reason we celebrate Christmas is that Jesus was born. I was ready to walk away from the conversation without giving a finite answer when Ty made eye contact with me before chiming in and dropping the bomb that we're the ones who put out the presents. From there I added that Owen is now in on the secret and gets to start helping be Santa for the little kids. As anticipated, he loved that idea and left the conversation feeling quite jovial.
I was honestly rather relieved. The older kids get the more the Santa narrative feels like a web of lies. It is so fun and I love them believing in the magic but I disliked having to straight-up lie when Owen began to identify some suspicious details. After we had the conversation I thought about it and if we had told Owen in that moment Santa is real, he would have believed us. I think that is the juncture at which we could have broken his trust. I feel good about how it went down and am looking forward to Owen helping us make magic for the little kids. I'm also glad that this conversation happened just after Christmas, so he has a whole year to process it. I think finding out just before the impending holiday could put a damper on the season.
Ty and I spent the 48 hours following Christmas cleaning and then headed to the Cove for a few days with the Rallo clan. We came home on NYE and continued our bonfire, sparkling cider, and confetti popper traditions. After a Christmas break full of family memories we are ready to see what 2022 has in store!
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