This really is the season of magic.
It is the season of wishful letters. Of kindness. Of hope. And excitement. Of flying reindeer. And of that special magic that childhood memories are made from.
To families with young children, that all-important visit from Santa on Christmas Eve is the culmination of the season – and as a parent myself, seeing Christmas through the eyes of my children, well, it is truly magical.
However, what about that moment we all dread – that moment when your child looks at you and asks, ‘Is Santa real?’
Luckily, these parents have done the hard work for you with their brilliant response to the ‘Is Santa real’ question.
Having been asked the question by the son, Ryan, this couple explains they had thought long and hard about their answer, and in the end wrote their boy a beautiful letter, which they ended up posting to Reddit too, explaining how they had gone about it.
Here is their lovely letter in full:
“Dear Ryan
You asked a really good question, are mom and dad really Santa? We know that you want to know the answer and we had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.
The answer is no, we are not Santa. There is no one single Santa.
We are the people who fill your stocking and choose and wrap the presents under the tree – just as our parents did for us, their parents did for them and you will do for you kids someday.
This could never make any of us Santa though. Santa is lots and lots of people who keep the spirit of Christmas alive.
He lives in our hearts, not at the North Pole. Santa is the magic and love and spirit of giving to others. What he does is teach children to believe in something they can’t see or touch.
Throughout your life you will need this capacity to believe in yourself, in your family, in your friends, and in God.
You’ll need to be able to believe in things you can’t measure or hold in your hands.
Now you know the secret of how he gets down all of those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.
With full hearts, people like Mommy and Daddy take our turns helping Santa to do a job that would otherwise be impossible.
So no, we are not Santa.
Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. We are on his team, and now you are too.
We love you, and we always will.
Love Mom and Dad”
