Santa
I woke up thinking about Christmas this morning. It is almost May, so I felt justified. I was specifically curious about Santa Claus.
Santa was magical in my home. I remember not even daring to make a list of things I wanted because Santa always delivered. Big or small, he brought things that were beautiful and perfectly suited to each child. Christmas morning was wonderful.
Santa started to struggle a bit when I had my own family. He worried a lot about fairness and appropriateness and affordability. The kids also changed. Children were making lists, spouting off wishes that were impossible. Santa's magic became hit or miss. In 2005, Christmas morning felt like a big ol' miss.
I had three children at that time. Samantha was 5, Landon was 2, and Julie was a newborn baby. Looking back, it should have been a slam dunk Christmas, right?! Those ages are so fun and pretty easy to please. Well, two-year old Landon had asked for two things that year: a robot and a swordfish. You read that correctly. He wanted a robot and a swordfish.
How about some race cars and a dump truck? Or a dinosaur and a puzzle? I tried my best to redirect Landon's Christmas dreams, but he was unwavering. I asked a lot of questions, trying to get some details about this robot and swordfish. Little Landon wasn't much help. He smiled at me knowingly, fully confident that Santa Claus knew exactly what he wanted. A bit dismayed, I prayed that Santa would pull through.
After a lot of research and shopping, Santa decided Buzz Lightyear would be the perfect robot. Done! Predictably, the swordfish search was causing quite a problem. There were no swordfish in toy stores, and they were noticeably absent from the bath toy options as well. Finally, as time was slipping away, Santa went to Ebay and checked there. SUCCESS!! There was a gray toy swordfish, about two feet long. It was a miracle.
Christmas morning came, and my kids eagerly opened their presents. Landon's face showed his disappointment in not one, but both of the gifts from Santa Claus. Whoops. I think he quite literally wanted a real robot (maybe C3PO) and a real swordfish swimming in a tank in the living room. Clearly, that didn't happen.
I was disappointed to say the least. Santa had really messed up. I moped around, sad that the magic of Christmas had not happened. I felt especially irritated when I saw that stupid swordfish lying on the ground, untouched. But later that evening when it was time for Landon's bath, he ran and grabbed his swordfish and played with it. In fact, the swordfish was Landon's constant bath companion for years. Years. And Buzz Lightyear, while not the robot Landon wanted, was beloved by all of my kids as well.
Christmas in 2005 was enlightening. I spent the majority of that day thinking Christmas was a bust, a total disaster. In contrast, my two-year old little boy decided to think his toys that year were perfect. And because he thought so...they were.
Incredibly, Santa didn't have to bring exactly what Landon imagined to still be wonderful. I never forgot that day or the lesson I learned. I started thinking that Santa was magical once again. And you know what? He absolutely was.
