Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Grandpa Stole Santa's Watch


We sat in our tiny plastic seats writing our letters to Santa Claus with large pencils and excited grins.  I asked for a Lite Brite for myself, Transformers for my brother, and a Glo Worm for my little sister.  Would Santa get my letter in time?  I hoped our kindergarten teacher would mail them out that very day after we lay down for our naps on rubber maps while sipping our chocolate milk from straws. 

Then the wonderful news came that made all of our young hearts beat more rapidly with abundant anticipation.   Not only were our letters being stamped and sent off to the North Pole that very afternoon as my little heart had hoped, but Santa himself was coming to our classroom tomorrow.  Following the holiday program for our parents, Santa and one of his elves would be right here – inside these concrete walls where we learned our alphabet and basic mathematics.

Of course Santa was real.  I knew he was real.  He had to be.  How else could one possibly explain the piles of presents that magically appeared under the tree each Christmas morning?  Who else could have conceivably consumed the plate of cookies and glass of milk that had been left out for this wonder of a man? Who else filled our stockings to the brim with candy canes, chocolates, and oranges?  Santa. It was Santa for sure, and I was meeting him.  I boasted about this upcoming encounter to my mother, and was far too excited to notice the look of concern that crossed her face.

Like thoughts of sugar plums described in traditional holiday tales, my thoughts were consumed with Santa until the moment finally came.  Santa sat in front of the decorative fireplace my teacher had assembled in the classroom.  He was dressed all in red velvet, with white fur trimming the edges of his coat and pants.  His beard was white as snow, and he wore a red cap.  He had a twinkle in his eye as he smiled down at me, looking precisely how I had envisioned him from the tales I read and stories I had been told.
He reached down with white gloves and placed me upon his lap.  I began to tell Santa the wishes of myself and my younger siblings.  As I spoke to him, I breathed in his very essence, expecting him to smell of candy canes and newly fallen snow.  His aroma, however, was not new or magical as I had imagined.  This jolly old man felt strangely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place the scent.  When he spoke back, another recognizable trait was heard.  That tone was one I had heard before, but again could not precisely identify.  His nose, his eyes, his smile; I felt already acquainted with all of these features. I looked back to my mom, who looked down at the ground.  I finished my requests, but my mind was rapidly attempting to solve a puzzle.  This man – this Santa – was no longer magic, but was now a mystery to me.

On Christmas day, we went to my grandparent’s house.  I looked at the ornaments hanging on the Christmas tree.  Most of them were personalized with a message to my Grandpa and a different year on them.  “From the Kindergarten Class – 1980,” “From the Kindergarten Class – 1981,” and so on.  Why did the kindergartners, which I now was, like my Grandpa so much?  I didn’t understand.  Then Grandpa handed me a gift that was under the tree.  I smiled at him, and when he smiled back, the mystery started to unravel.  His watch! He’s wearing Santa’s watch!  Why is Grandpa wearing Santa’s watch?  I saw it on Mr. Claus last week.  I know it’s the very same one. 

I dropped the gift to the floor, and ran to my mother’s arms.  “Mom! Grandpa stole Santa’s watch! He stole it! I saw it!”  My mother shook her head and explained to me that Grandpa had not committed an act of thievery.  “But …. But,”  I began, and then I understood.  Grandpa didn’t steal Santa’s watch. Grandpa was Santa.  But, he doesn’t live at the North Pole.  And where are his reindeer?  And … no, no, no! I escaped my mother’s embrace and ran under the kitchen table, where I stayed and cried for forty minutes.  Nothing was ever the same again. Santa wasn’t real. The magic was over for me.  

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I thought the magic was over in that moment, but I was wrong.  The magic is real and it lies in our own hearts, and in the smiles of our own children.  It lies in the love of family and the kindness of strangers. Although it’s been nearly thirty years since I learned the truth about Santa, Christmas remains a magical holiday.  More importantly, I never once stopped believing in the man this holiday was truly meant to celebrate.  Jesus is the real reason for this season, and his gift of salvation is far better than any present wrapped up with ribbons and bows.   


I'm spending the holidays over at Yeah Write.  You should too. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good read.

 
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19 comments:

  1. I don't remember how I found out that Santa wasn't real. I suspect, as for many kids, that it was just a gradual thing. How traumatic to find out in that one moment, betrayed by your grandpa! This post was so detailed...I felt like I was there. Great story telling :)

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  2. Love your story. My grandpa was Santa for us every year when we were young. In Germany, kids actually get to meet Santa when he comes on Christmas eve and he carries a big sack and if you were good you were getting presents, if not it would be a lump of coal.
    My Grandpa would only dress up by wearing a nylon stocking over his head and his regular clothes, so he really looked more like a bank-robber than anything else...
    Christmas always has been and still is magical, though. And my whole family believes in Santa ;)

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    1. Oh my! I'm glad my grandpa atleast looked like I hoped Santa looked, rather than a bank robber. He was Santa for almost thirty years for the local school district. In high school, I was his elf. :)

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  3. Oh how heartbreaking :( I remember when I asked my parents if Santa was real, and they told me the truth - maybe I was 7 or 8? - and I yelled at them for an hour. "But WHY did you lie to me? How COULD you?" Ah kids. Ungrateful idiots :)
    ^Kerstin's grandpa up there looking like a bank-robber is hilarious :)

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    1. My brother put it together quicker when he was in kindergarten. He just said, "Hi Grandpa," when he was on Santa's lap. He just believed our Grandpa was the actual Santa Claus. He asked, "Alright, Grandpa, if you're the real Santa, tell me where you keep the reindeer." He had a hobby farm, so he said they were in the back of the barn. Okay, good enough for my younger brother -- no crying under the table there.

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  4. Everything about this story makes me smile...your innocence, the magic, the fact that your Grandpa was Santa for so many years...and then it made me sad, too.

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    1. I love seeing that innocence and magic in my own children now, so that's why it's still happy for me. Thanks!

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  5. What a bittersweet story; I love it so much! I think you're right that magic is all around us. I know I felt like a kid checking to see if Santa had come to visit yesterday morning when I peeked out the blinds and saw snow coming down. I was wishing for a White Christmas and Santa delivered. :)

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    1. Thanks. I am glad you got a white christmas. I never worry about that living in Wisconsin. Ha!

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  6. I love this story, and the fact that your grandpa played Santa for all of those years. I always wonder about how hard it is for kids to finally learn that Santa is, in fact, not real. I think it must be one of the hardest moments in a young life.

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    1. Thank you. Later, I thought it was a really cool thing that my Grandpa was Santa for so many kids.

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  7. Oh, this was sad! My parents never pretended Santa was real and I just always knew he wasn't. Unfortunately they didn't mention that all the other kids thought he was, and he destroyed many a dream at recess my kindergarten year.

    I loved this story and how you structured it. Merry Christmas!

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  8. I think these stories are fascinating. Thanks for sharing yours! I don't remember when I discovered the truth about Santa, but I remember keeping up the ruse for my sister's sake and it was fun!

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  9. This was so well written. I felt sad for all of you in that moment of discovery, but it sounds like it all worked out. The Santa we had at my office this year did a wonderful job, but his grandkids' mom thought it was too risky to have them come see him so she stayed away.

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  10. This was really sweet. I love the part about grandpa stealing Santa's watch.

    It wasn't ever something I experienced because by the time I was five I knew that Santa wasn't someone who would visit my house. I don't remember ever feeling upset about it though, but I can see how it would be fun for kids.

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  11. I love how darling your little self was! Great story!

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  12. Oh, poor sweetie... We have avoided the "fake Santa" thing so far because none of my kids have ever seen a Santa up close. They haven't been intersted in sitting on his lap at the mall and haven't been anywhere that a fake has appeared. My oldest is 7, so our days are numbered...

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  13. This is SUCH a great story! Loved it. You never forget the moment when you realize "the truth." Such a bittersweet rite of passage.

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