Is Santa real?

So I was skimming through my Facebook feed tonight, as I often do after I put the boys to bed and wait for them to actually fall asleep ;-) when I came across this article:

11 Things Empty Nesters Want Parents Of Little Kids To Know

I don't often have time to read through the (bajillion) articles that my friends post online, and I was pretty sure I could guess what these 11 things would be, but I decided to click through anyway.

After reading the first piece of advice, it dawned on me that, on the one hand, I've done an okay job at keeping this blog up to date with a number of important milestones and funny sayings from the boys through the years, but on the other hand, there have been some really interesting conversations that we've had (mostly in the last year or two), that I haven't written down.

How lazy.

And, it's true that one of my most favorite, was a conversation I had with Logan just over a year ago, on whether or not Santa is real.

So, before my memory completely fades away on this particular topic, let me jot down what I *do* remember of that discussion.  :)

One day, after school (Logan was in Kindergarten at the time), Logan asked me, "Mommy, is Santa real?"

This is actually kind of a sticky topic for Jon and I.  Because, we try to be as (sometimes brutally) honest and straightforward to the boys as we possibly can.  Always.  Yet, I'd like them to enjoy some of the wondrous virtue of childhood for a few more years...

So, I did what every Mom does.  I evaded the question.

Why do you ask?

Because, Aidan told me today that he's not real.  He said that our parents put the gifts out after bedtime.

Hmmmm, that's interesting.  What do you think?

(pretty good, right? I rock at this Mom shit.)

I think he's real.

Oh yeah?  How come?

Because, you and Daddy go to bed when we go to bed, so you can't put gifts out then.

Well, maybe I set an alarm and wake up in the middle of the night to set the gifts out?

(Logan laughs)  I don't think so Mommy, that's silly!

Hmmmm.  Well, maybe I get up in the morning, BEFORE you wake up, and set the gifts out then?

(Logan laughs even more - he and everyone else in this household knows how much I am NOT a morning person) WHAT!!  That's crazy Mommy!!  You are always in bed or asleep when we wake up!!

He's quite right, for the most part.

So then, how are those presents showing up on Christmas morning?

I told you, it's Santa.  Aidan's wrong.  Santa's real.

And that, my friends, is how I managed to sneak in another year of innocence into my children's lives.