2005
In our village lives another Franco-American family. Their little boy Luca asked me with pleading eyes, "Corey, remember last year Santa came to your house to see me?" Barely, did the word yes come out of my mouth, when he was onto the next question, "How did he know, I mean, How did that happen? Who told him?" His huge lollipop eyes looking right through my heart… Gee this Christmas tale sometimes really gets me the not telling the truth, but saying the truth to a child sounds like Mr. Grinch.
So instead I kept his believing intact by saying, "I did. I am the one who called Santa."
A year ago, almost to the day, Luca had cried, when we asked him what was wrong he said he had never seen Santa, and with bigger tears splashing on the floor he added, "And and and… he has never seen me!"
Well, I had to change that devastating fact of his life. Yann became the man in red.
Luca stood still…in his eyes I could see heroine written above my head.
"Oooooooooh, Corey could you call him again?" Luca continued, "Tell him our chimney is too small, and that my Papa shuts the shutters at night, he locks the door too. So um…um… um, do you know what to tell him? I mean how is he going to get in my house on Christmas night?"
Several years ago, I remember listening to my two children who were in the back seat of the car while I drove. Chelsea (who believed in Santa until she was ten (!!!) was saying how nice it was that the village was collecting gifts, for the children of Bosnia. Sacha who I honestly think never believed in Santa from the moment of his birth, looked at his sister doubtfully. Setting her up he said, "Chelsea, couldn't Santa just fly over and drop his gifts out?" Falling right in the trapper's trap she defended her man, "Oh Sacha, it is a war zone, and Santa and his rein deers could be bombed!" I saw the smirking smile as Sacha delivered his one two punch to Chelsea's belief system, "Chelsea if Santa can make those rein deers fly all over the world in one night I am sure he can fly into a war zone and fly out with a crack of his whip! You know he IS magical!"
Years later:
Sacha was 13 the sweet night of Luca's desire to see Santa at his house, hugged Luca while lovingly whispering, "Luca Santa is magical! And he will come see you with his arms full of presents! You wait and see!"
May your Christmas Desires come true.
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