The Man (mom and dad) in the Suit

If you don't lie about the big fat man dressed in red that comes down your chimney (or through the garbage shoot in my case), then this post is not for you. We will not be debating whether or not lying about this is right or wrong, good or bad, or a threat on the trust developing between you and your child. That can be in another post...

When I was a child, I woke up on Christmas morning to my stocking spilling over and thensome. Every Christmas Eve, after we opened up our one Christmas Eve present (usually pajamas, specifically Lanz pajamas), and dressed in that present, we laid the cookies out for Santa, the carrot for the reindeer, and chose a spot on one of two sofas in our living room to place our stocking. This is where Santa would come, fill it, set up some other gifts, eat his cookies and take the carrot to go.

Nothing was wrapped, except, as we got older (for some reason) the occasional tiny box in our stocking...usually jewelry or makeup. The elves make some GREAT Clinique Cosmetics...did you know?

Every year I always got big gifts from Santa: THAT doll I wanted, the stereo system, even a miniature tv one year...the list goes on. Then from my parents, wrapped under the tree usually an outfit and then a miscellaneous gift. As I got older and had to pretend Santa was real for my brother and sister nearly a decade younger than me, I would always sit down in front of my Christmas morning Santa loot and make eye contact with my Mom and tell her thank you.

When I took my first turn at being Santa about 6 years ago, I didn't even think twice about how I would do Santa...no...it would be EXACTLY the same as when I grew up. I carefully chose the stocking stuffers for my little baby and stuffed them into her stocking...then set up her Jay Jay the Jetplanes and Chicken Dance Elmo next to a few books, on the couch next to the stocking and on the floor. Of course, being only 9 months old, she didn't understand what was going on...but I didn't care...it was like I hadn't even done any of it...like Santa had really come!

This year, as I have been hemming and hawing over what to get my girls from Santa vs. from their parents, I realized that Santa really does get ALL the glory in this scenario that my parents have set up and I have continued. Santa brought the kitchen last year, and the DVDs and books and barbies. This year Santa is bringing the dollhouse and games and DVDS and books. We are giving them a small gift under the tree, because our trip to California is the present...

So...what I am trying to get to here is how does Santa visit your house? With wrapped presents? An unwrapped extravaganza? Stockings only? Do the big gifts come from Santa or the parents or the grandparents(...now THAT'S a way to save money!)? Do you make things and pretend that Santa and his elves really made them? Does it matter who gets the glory? Do you spoil your kids? Do you have a big Christmas or a small Christmas or does it depends on how well you did financially that year? Do you make your child choose their favorite gift to give away? Do you focus on Christ on Christmas Day or Santa or both?

I don't mind at all that Santa gets all the credit for the Christmas morning Surprise. I think that's just part of the magic of Christmas. And even when I found out it was my parents nearly 20 years ago, it never ruined me, in fact I think it made my love and trust for my parents stronger because I realized all they did for me to provide that amazing moment every year. I knew how hard they worked, thought, planned out, spent, shopped, and organized, and that they did it all for me.