Is Santa Real?

I think that my kids are the few ones left that still believe in Santa Claus. They ask me all the time if he’s real. I tell them that I believe in him and if you believe then it's real to you. It’s like God. You can’t see him but you can see the stuff he does for us and other people. I tell them that Santa is like God and there’s a little of him inside each one of us. When you give and not expect anything in return then you’re doing what Santa does and that makes them Santa’s helpers.


Ashton really took this to heart this year. He had $10 that I was holding for him. $5 of it he spent on magnets (don’t ask) and he had $5 left. We were at the grocery store to buy cookie ingredients and there was a bell ringer outside collecting money for a charity. I can’t pass one without putting something in so I gave each boy some money to put in. We got to the car and Ashton asked if I still had his $5. I was tired and told him we were not going back into the store so he could spend his money. He said “no I wanna give it to those guys” (pointing at the bell ringers). I looked at him in shock and made sure he understood that once he gave it away he would not be getting more money. Once it’s gone it’s gone. I don’t know how many times I said it or how many different ways I said it for him to understand. But no matter what I said he kept saying “I KNOW MOM!” I gave it to him and watched him with tears in my eyes go give his own money to those guys. On the way home we talked about what the money goes to and he felt even better about his decision when he heard that some little boys & girls won't get gifts under the tree. That his $5 could have just helped make a holiday special for one of them. It was just so sweet to see him give from the heart and know he was giving to those in need and expecting nothing in return. I gave him a big hug & a kiss and told him I was proud of him…it was a sweet moment that I will never forget.