The concept of Santa and the eventual unveiling of him has always left me a little uneasy. We have friends that say he isn't real and that takes away a little magic for me. So, Marcus and I have talked to a handful of people and we came up with a middle ground that feels good to us....
Santa is pretend, but anyone who wants to do good and give to others can be Santa! It works for us. When I first asked Abby casually is Santa was real, she told me that he is just pretend. That made the whole conversation much easier. We talked about the original orphan Nicholas who gave all that he had away to others and how happy that made Jesus. It was an easy transition to Mommy and Daddy can be Santa and give you things, but you also can be Santa and give to others.
So, today was her day to be Santa Abby and buy presents for other kids. She was so excited to shop for them! We even wore our Santa shirt!
Abby and I went to Dollar Tree and we picked out 15 items for other kids- puzzles, coloring books, crayons, books, etc. We thought about boys and girls getting super heroes and My Little Pony, Mickey and Minnie. It was fun to keep focusing her on what other kids might like.
Afterward, we drove to our local HEB where they had a Blue Santa drop off bin and loaded all of our presents into the bin for the other kids. She parted with everything with a smile and told the Santa on the bin to take them to other kids. She also made sure we weren't putting them in a trashcan - I had to assure her this was the right place for them!
I so hope we can instill a Saint Nicholas like attitude in her for a long time and that our version of Santa Claus is best in the long run. We want her to have fun with Santa, but also know that sharing to make Jesus smile is so much better than just being good for Santa Claus.
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