Santa's Coming

by Wendy

My son has said many funny things over the years. But one of my all-time favorites is this one ...

So first, the setting ... Every year my son makes a list for Santa. (Okay, it's not for Santa anymore, but we'll get to that.) Each year his list gets progressively more and more expensive.

One night we were lying in bed. I was getting ready to read to him as I have done every night since he was born ... and I continue to do to this day even though he just turned 14.

He was talking to me about what was on his list. I, of course, noticed how expensive everything was and I commented on it. This is how he responded:

That's okay, Mommy, Santa will bring it.

"How in the world do I respond to that?!?" I thought. I figured I could break it to him now, or I could let him down gently. I opted for the latter.

"Well, I hope you're not disappointed if Santa doesn't bring you everything you want. Remember, he has a lot of little boys and girls to give gifts to. He can't get everyone everything that's on their list."

"You're right, Mommy. I understand if he doesn't bring me everything. But could he at least bring me a Play Station and a flat screen tv to play it on?"

Sigh.

I can't tell you how relieved I was when he finally wanted to know if Santa was real or not. Now when we get his list, which typically totals somewhere in the $5k range, we automatically say, "That's okay, Mommy, Santa will bring it!" And then we all laugh.