Keeping the Santa secret

Do your kids still believe in Santa?

Skyler started to doubt his existence last year. She asked me very pressing questions about him, trying to get to the bottom of the very important “real or fake” question. And then she asked me outright, “Mom is Santa real?”

You know what how I responded? I lied right to her face, “Well of course he’s real.” What can I say? She threw me off base with such a direct question right in the middle of our “annual trip to look at lights while Santa comes” drive.

I think we are coming to the end of our Santa run with the kids. In just a few years none of them will believe anymore. And I, for one, am actually quite happy about this.

Yes, I have turned in to quite a Scrooge in my older years.

I’ve never been very good at the whole Santa thing. I can still remember the day I knew Justis figured it out. It was Christmas morning. He looked down at his present that said, “To Justis, From Santa” and he recognized the handwriting. My handwriting. I could tell in his eyes that he had just put it together. And that’s when I realized I really should have at least tried to use different handwriting, maybe with my left hand, or typed the labels. But it was too late by then.

You’d think I would have learned from that mistake. But apparently I’m a slow learning. I still don’t make any attempt to hide my handwriting. But, luckily, the kids are too busy ripping the wrapping off their presents to notice.

So here are some tips to keep you kids in the dark umm…spirit from somebody who failed miserably at this (don’t you just love tips from somebody who couldn’t get it right in the first place?):

• For the love of all things Santa, don’t sign the tag in your own handwriting. Get a friend to come over and address your tags. Or type them up on the computer. It’s 2008. Santa’s all hip know. He even uses those new fangled computer contraptions. Or at least his administrative office does.
• Use different wrapping paper for the Santa gifts. They will only buy the “wow, Santa bought the same paper we did” excuse once (or maybe twice) before they start to catch on.
• Don’t leave the “Santa wrapper” laying around in your bedroom (or wherever you wrap the gifts). I can guarantee that somewhere around March they will be searching for their missing shoe and stumble upon the paper Santa used last year. If you have extra give it to a friend or throw it away.
• Don’t hide their gifts in your bedroom closet or under the bed. Those are such obvious hiding places. Leave the gifts at the office, at a friend’s house or hidden in the trunk of your car. [Or maybe with the cleaning supplies. They'll never look there.]
• Don’t leave the receipts sitting out on the kitchen counter or your desk. Hide them someplace until after Christmas. In your purse. Or your underwear drawer.

What other suggestions do you have for keeping the Santa secret?

Related posts:

1. Yes, Skyler, there is a Santa Claus Skyler and
2. Busted Last night

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