Santa Survives One More Year! -- A True Christmas Story Part II-- ** Story 2 of 7 Until Christmas Eve.** About two years after my previous story (yesterday- Part 1) , Danielle was six and in kindergarten. She came home the last Friday before Christmas as it was the start of Christmas break. She sat down in the living room after playing some video games in her room and announced that she now knew that there was no Santa Claus! I was heartbroken as this is the first major loss of innocence in a child’s life, and a major loss of miracle making in a parent’s life. We had the following conversation: Danielle: “I know there is no Santa Claus dad, we hear things in kindergarten” Dad: “I do not understand why you would believe one person” Danielle: “Dad, three kids in kinder caught their parents wrapping gifts, and last year one kid caught his parents putting them under the tree” Dad: “They were just helping Santa” Danielle “ they said you would say that” Dad: “ Who said??” Danielle: “ The grown kids in kinder” Dad: “The grown kids in Kinder??” Danielle: “The ones who are there for the second year” I realized then that I was up against kids who much more mature than the regular kids because they had flunked kinder already. Who flunks kindergarten then gets treated as gurus ???? Then the conversation continued: Danielle: “Tell me the truth and it is okay, but do not lie to me” Dad: “What?” Danielle: “ Is there a real Santa and do you believe in him?” Dad: “ I believe in him and I think there is” Danielle: “they said you would say that too, but you never have seen him?” Dad: “I see Santa everywhere” Danielle: “They said you would say that too but would not dare pinky swear” -- I realized I was up against some mini mind controlling 7 year old Charlie Mansons who had flunked kindergarten once, in their second year and now controlling six year olds. They were robbing my child of her final year to believe in the magic of Santa. And of course real parents would never pinky swear on a lie. The cost of getting caught is too severe. So I bought some time and told Danielle to go to her room and play some more video games and we would finish this conversation later. She went back to the room saying “It’s okay dad, I know the truth now” -- I sat in the living room really bummed out and feeling like I had just lost something magical way ahead of its time. I could not begin to imagine how I was going to convince her that those 7 year olds were wrong and not the wise kids the six year olds thought they were. I had Danielle’s presents wrapped and hidden in the closet and thought that maybe it was time to tell her the truth. Just when I thought it was over, I heard someone outside in the courtyard saying and sounding like Santa yelling “HO! HO! HO!”. I looked out of the blind and there was Santa Claus in the middle of my courtyard with a red bag on his shoulder and yelling it out one more time. I opened the door and walked right up to him wanting to believe that it was really him. It was the kid inside of me. He said “good afternoon Dennis!”. For one more minute the magic lived as I thought “God, he even knows my name!”. Then common sense took over and I realized it was my neighbor from the courtyard. He was coming back from his company Christmas party and he always played Santa. He was just having fun in the courtyard before taking the costume off. But the makeup and costume were amazingly real. He looked so authentic… I saw my chance and the answer to my prayer minutes before. -- I quickly told Tony (Santa) that I needed him to do something for me and explained that Danielle was doubting there was a Santa Claus already and I wanted her to believe for one more Christmas. He asked what he could do? I asked him to wait one minute while I set it up. I went inside and all the way to the back room where Danielle was playing her video games with the sound on high. I told her to keep playing while I went and got us a snack and I would come back and play with her. “Hurry daddy! She said, I am almost at level 4 ”. I quickly went into my room and got the hidden gifts from the closet and took them out to Tony to put in his bag and told him what to do next. He agreed and thought it was the neatest thing to do. I told him to start what we had planned in two minutes. He looked like a kid himself who could not wait to perform. -- I went back into the room with Danielle and told her I could not decide on what to snack on and if she minded going into the kitchen and helping me choose. She reluctantly put the game on hold and followed me. Once we were in the kitchen we heard someone yelling outside. Tony had started at the prefect time. Outside in the courtyard: Ho! Ho! Ho! I am looking for Danielle! (repeated three times, louder each time) Danielle: “What is that?” Dad: “ I do not know, but it is coming from outside” Santa (tony) out in the courtyard: “Ho! Ho! Ho! I am looking for Danielle!”: Danielle: “who is that?” Dad: “Let’s go see” (and we walked and opened the front door) -- Her eyes and mouth opened wide and she looked over to me in amazement “Dad, It’s Santa! It’s Santa!, he is right there! “I see him Danielle and he is asking for you” -- Santa walked towards her and by now other people had come out of their apartments and were watching with an amazed look on their faces. Santa: “Danielle, I know you have been good and I hear you were doubting me?” Danielle: “Not me Santa! It was some dumb kids in Kinder, right daddy?? “ Dad: “Right Santa, Danielle would never fall for rumors,” Danielle: “No, not me!” Santa: “ Well Danielle, I thought this year, I would bring you your gifts early and let you watch me put them under the tree for yourself” Danielle: “you have my gifts in there?” Santa: “yes and you will believe in me when you open them and see it is what you wished for” Danielle: “ I already believe in you Santa, you are real!” -- Santa put the gifts under the tree and then asked Danielle for a hug. She hugged him tight and did not want to let go. Her eyes were twinkling and her face was bright and full of wonder. The magical time was back in her life for a little while longer. He told her that when he left, she had to promise not to look out the window because no one could see the magic of Santa traveling. She asked about the people outside and Santa said he would make them all go inside. If anyone peeked, Christmas would be over for them. Danielle promised not to look and Santa left. We sat on the couch and stared at the presents for a long while. Danielle: “ Daddy, he is real, Santa came to my house!” Dad: “ He sure did” Danielle: “This is the best Christmas ever Daddy, and I will always believe!” -- Then she went to get on the phone and call everyone she knew. I sat there as her excited voice told the story over and over again to many people. I thought about the magical moment I was able to create for my daughter and how we had to be in the right place at the right time for that to happen. How it had all been an answer to my problem just minutes earlier. -- You think you will always believe Danielle? So will daddy baby, so will daddy! Then I wondered, was Santa sent for Danielle that night? Or was Santa sent for Daddy?
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 06:04:27 +0000
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