Blue Christmas

FYI Parents:
...delicate subject matter...
.if your kids read too, you may want to screen this first.

Starting immediately this holiday season, Nate has been overly sneaky. Peering over shoulders, snooping in closets, even reading grocery lists for Christmas clues. He is 11 and though we have done everything in our power to keep the magic alive for him, this year we caved under the pressure of the increasingly difficult facade. Last night, we officially told him there is no Santa.
For a few years he's asked and we just went with the old "believe to receive" standby, but this time was different. We were worried he is too old and smart to keep it going, and because of this, his little sibs may not have the same lengthy experience as him. So, Todd was sent to do the dirty work.
I can't say that we were surprised to hear him say he pretty much knew for the last couple of years. Store tags, receipts, and a couple of botched gifts led to suspicion, but our overly protective stance toward the gifts & lists sealed the deal. He was not upset (though Todd did tease him a bit about crying and offered to wait until a better time to break the news about the Easter Bunny...Nate's got a cold & his sniffles were enough to trigger some joking). In fact he is eager to help with the grown up aspects of creating Christmas cheer, relishing in the ability to hang out late with us and surprise the little kiddos in the morning. Either way, when the time comes and his eyes are not full of the same holiday magic they were last year I will feel sad knowing our little guy is one step closer to being a man.