The following is the letter that Flora dictated to her Tadone (my FIL). I saw it for the first time last Thursday. I didn’t change any of the spelling or phrasing.
Santa Clause
North Pole, U.S.A.
Dear Santa Clause,
I know you are very busy working on toys for all the good children of the world.
I have be a pretty good girl this year and I would like to ask you if you would bring me some Christmas gifts this year.
1. May I please have a Barbie doll this year.
2. May I also have a fidget too.
3. And, do you have enough room in your bag for a “Rock Star Set”?
4. And for the most special Christmas Gift you could give me this year is a Small doggie, that is puppish and kind of grown-uppie.
Santa if you send me these gifts this year I will forever love and I promise to be a good girl for Mommy and Daddy.
Thank you very much,
Flora Maria Mangine
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Yes, I cried after reading it. #softie
I have no idea what a “fidget” or a “Rock Star Set” is.
The girls are each getting a bicycle and a board game. In addition, Flora is getting a book and Kate is getting a DVD. The bicycles plus their stocking stuffers are their Santa gifts.
I am wondering if there is going to be fallout for not getting anything on this list. I am also wondering (and talking with Dan about) how to handle said fallout. If any.
I have allowed (?) my children to believe in Santa, obviously. I like the magic of Santa, I always have, even when I realized Santa, the red-suited Christmas Eve miracle worker, doesn’t exist as such. And I don’t really recall that Santa has brought specifically requested gifts in the past, but it probably didn’t matter because 1. This is Flora’s first actual letter to Santa and 2. They were probably too young to remember what all they asked for.
My children have always been pleased with their gifts on Christmas Day. We’ve always been clear that Santa only brings them one gift (the others are from Mommy and Daddy.) And we don’t go overboard (more on that later this week).
But I just wonder if some of Flora’s wonder will be different when she sees what’s under the tree this year. And how to appropriately talk about it with her (if we need to).
Do you let your kids believe in Santa? When does the doubt creep in, and how, and what do you do about it?
Red Pen Mama 