The Big Guy Does Good
When Alexis explained to me that it was silly that her friend from school was scared of their Elf on the Shelf, I thought for sure the gig was up. She was very thorough in her explanation that the Elf was just a doll that the girl's mom was moving around. She was so thorough that I was certain that she had traced the conspiracy all the way back to the big guy himself.
If the Christmas season were about a week longer, Alexis would have figured out that the Santa thing isn't much different than the Elf on the Shelf thing YEARS ago. She has been SO close to tearing aside the curtain and discovering that the Wizard is actually a middle-aged woman with a love for Christmas lights. SO close.
But, somehow, here we are just after her fifth Christmas and she still believes. Barely, but she does.
It helps that we have stacked the odds in our favor. Santa delivers to our house on Christmas Eve when he's out doing his regular rounds in Pittsburgh. We, conveniently, are almost never home on Christmas Eve, so when we return a day or two after Christmas, the goods are stashed under the tree. It's sort of magical how that all happens between the time that Alexis gets in the car for our drive to Indy and when we return. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that it always takes me an extra ten minutes or so to get to the car after Alexis and the husband are already ready to go. Nothing at all. Ahem.
When we returned home this year, Alexis was SO ready to run to the tree. We managed to stall her long enough to turn a few lights on, but then she ripped into the first gift she saw.
We've had this debate here before, but there's your proof that Santa really can wrap ANYTHING. Even a bike. He might have had a little fun cutting Justin Bieber's face in half as he did it.
He might have had even more fun watching Bieber get ripped to shreds over and over as the bike was unwrapped. It's possible.
So, here's the thing--I fully expected the bike to be a giant bucket of fail. Alexis hadn't asked for a new bike. It wasn't anywhere on her radar, although she really did need a new one. But when Santa won that bike in a little photo contest, he knew he had just finished with his shopping for that short person. Whether or not she appreciated the gift became a minor detail that I was willing to deal with when the time came. Because, you know, FREE. Santa likes FREE!
The good news is that she liked it. A LOT. The even better news is that Alexis acted like she meant to ask for a bike all along, so there is no bad news to report. The magic of Santa filled her little heart and she rode around with a giant grin on her face.
But it was when we got to her stocking stuffers from Santa that the real magic happened.
Full confession: I am LAME when it comes to stocking stuffers. They are generally toiletries and necessities and such. There are a few fun things of candy included, but it's mostly shampoo and toothbrushes and underwear and the like. There is nothing exciting about any of it . . . unless you're Alexis. The fact that Santa had picked shampoo that claims to help hair grow longer made him a super hero. The fact that he knew she likes Hello Kitty underwear made him AMAZING. And how in the world did Santa know she wanted pink mouthwash? MAGIC. THAT'S HOW.
The last little thing Santa left was the most magical thing of all. Santa somehow managed to find a little something that Alexis lost a month ago. She has recently been really into writing in diaries and such, but she had lost the key to her favorite diary. There was much sobbing and crying and drama when she lost it, but there wasn't much we could do. We looked. We couldn't find it. Tiny keys have a tendency to disappear when you drop them out in the yard.
Yet, somehow Mr. Husband spotted it the day before we left to visit family for Christmas. I have no idea how as it turned up in our driveway. We searched that driveway up and down and left and right for hours when the key first disappeared.
It must have been a little Santa magic.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Reader Comments (5)
Those tiny keys are my hell - Emily is forever losing them.
Re: Justin Beiber. My daughter's "Ken" doll? Is HIM!! Seriously! What the heck happened to KEN?!?! I'm so out of touch...
And I believe in Santa magic. With all my heart. The bell still rings for me. ;)
you are a good egg, santa! i love that alexis still believes.
your story of the timing of the key's appearance inspired me to write about my own tiny treasure. look at you, being all inspiring!
It was definitely Santa with a little help from the Fairies who visit the Fairie Garden, duh.
WOW. That returned key is epic Santa magic. She'll be telling that story to her daughters.