It was wonderful having your cousins here for Christmas. Santa has not visited our house in the last few years. You know he only has time to stop in houses where there are children.
Alicia and especially Denise, were skeptical. When we put out the kolachke and the chocolate chip cookie next to his glass of milk, Alicia asked if Santa would really eat them. I told her that it depended on how many cookies and glasses of milk he'd already had before reaching our house. She let out a heavy sigh, and with heavy weight falling on 11-year old shoulders, said, "He's not real. They won't get eaten."
It broke my heart to see such anticipated disappointment.
You used to love Christmas. You dutifully wrote your letter to Santa, politely stating your one gift request. Yes, always only one request... but one, usually expensive, request. You wrote your first letter when you were about 5, asking Santa for the Fisher-Price 3-In-1 pool table. Dad and I tried to reason with you.
"Steven, the pool table is really expensive." It cost $299.99.Guess what? Santa did bring us the Fisher-Price 3-In-1 pool table that year.
"Santa will bring it." you answered confidently.
"But what if he doesn't? It may be too expensive."
"Santa is magic, Mama. Of course he will bring it."
Then, do you remember the year that you wanted a printer for your computer? You were about 8. Weeks before Christmas, you measured the opening from the chimney to the fireplace to make sure that the printer box would fit down the chimney. And it did. Santa is magic, Mama.
To my relief and dismay, on Christmas morning, there were sooty ashy boot-prints all over the family room leading from the fireplace. Auntie Sue was yelling, "He came, he came. Come see." The girls ran in and saw packages - one simply labeled "Denise" and the other labeled "Alicia." They both looked at me and Alicia said, "He didn't finish his milk, but he ate all the chocolate chip cookie and half the kolachke."
Denise just stared at her package with reluctant wonder. Her 13-year-old very intelligent brain was at odds with her 13-year-old heart that desperately wanted to believe.
The rest of Christmas morning was a blur of ripped wrapping paper and bows. Those presents were insignificant. They paled next to the stuffed tiger Alicia clung to all day... the one Santa brought. Santa came to our house again this Christmas, Steven. And like all his other visits before this, he left much more than presents. Santa is magic, Mama.
I hope you had a nice Christmas too, Steven. I wish you Santa's magic this Christmas, and for all Christmases to come and for the days in between. In these troubling times of humanity's inhumanity toward one another, we could all use some Santa magic.
Santa is magic, my son. Santa is magic.
Love,
Mom and Dad
