Will the Real Santa Claus Please Stand Up?
In the end, it’s what we choose to believe that counts.
It began with a question. I sat on my bedroom floor, petting our elderly golden retriever, Ace. Jackson, age nine, perched on a chair nearby, working on a puzzle in the dining room with my husband.
“Mom,” Jackson asked, “Are you moving the elf at night?”
For those of you unfamiliar with the ‘Elf on the Shelf,’ this question may not make any sense. But suffice it to say the elf is masterful marketing magic that came on the Christmas scene in earnest in 2007. The elf moves each night after he or she visits Santa with reports of a child’s behavior. A child is not allowed to touch the elf or it loses its magic. Unfortunately, sometimes the elf forgets to move. This is easily explained to young believers. But a fourth-grader is a different story. Our elf forgot to move one night and the wheels of Jackson’s mind began to turn.
Ironically, I’d had a conversation with my ex-husband, Jackson’s biological dad, the night before on the subject of Santa. “It’s coming,” I warned him. “I’m sure of it.” My child, like most children with a firm belief in the magical red-suited fellow and his reindeer, loves Santa. But, I could feel the questions beginning to bubble. At his age some children believe. Others, particularly…
