Ho Ho Ho or Boo Hoo Hoo

Seven years ago, upon the advice of a family member who said if we wanted our kids to trust us in the big things we shouldn’t lie about the little things, I broke the news to my six-year-old that Santa Claus wasn’t real.  She seemed to take it well.

The next year, however, she sadly admitted, “I wish I still believed in Santa.”  I decided then and there that I would let my children discover the truth about Santa when they were ready.

This doesn’t mean I actively lie to my kids.  I simply play the game and let them believe – the same as I do with the Tooth Fairy or when I eat their playdough cookies.

It’s not that hard to allow the fantasy without the fraud.  When they see Santa at the mall and ask, “Is that really Santa Claus?” I say, “No, that’s just someone dressed up like Santa.”  When they ask, “Does Santa really climb down chimneys?” I say, “No, there are lots of houses without chimneys – like ours.”  When they ask, “Is Santa real?”  I say, “What do you think?”  Then I praise them for their deductive reasoning, welcome them into the “grown up” world, and remind them to keep the secret so it stays fun for the little ones.

I don’t think allowing children the excitement and wonder of believing in something magical is a bad thing.  Of course, we make sure they understand the religious side of Christmas first and foremost – that we are celebrating the birth of our Savior, not Santa Claus.

But what’s really great about the Santa tradition is that it motivates adults to be selfless.  It’s a time when we think about bringing joy to others by giving anonymously, without expecting anything in return.

And that’s definitely a good thing.

If I Had Three Wishes

A few months ago I wrote an article about my calculator dying and my husband wanting to buy a new TV even though the old one still worked.  Two weeks after that article went to print, my husband’s wish came true and Zenith passed away.

What if this column is magical?  What if the things I write about come true?  Oh the pressure!  What should I write about?  World peace?

We’ve all played the game If I had three wishes, what would they be?  Thankfully, many of my past wishes haven’t come true.  It’s nice to know someone of superior intelligence is looking out for me, tossing out my dumb ideas.

A year or two ago, a local gas station had a promotion going:  Buy a full tank of gas and get a free lottery ticket (for a multi-million dollar jackpot).  My husband and I aren’t gamblers, but we received tickets twice when we gassed up.  It sure was fun to talk about what we would do with several million dollars!  I can see why gambling is addictive.

Most of our plans for that money involved eliminating debt in both of our families, building a dream house (modest and totally energy efficient), and starting a business.

Astronomical amounts of money and defying death aside, we can make many of our own wishes come true.  It’s called setting goals, making resolutions, following our dreams.  It means being motivated enough to take a chance and get to work.  Write down a plan.  Post it on the fridge.  Be accountable.

Why wait for someone else (or the lottery) to make our wishes realities?  This year, make your own three wishes come true.