The Christmas Book I Can't Remember

Mom, is Santa real?

I had a phone consultation with a client this morning who was asking about Waldorf stories for the Easter Bunny... and so we got to talking about S-A-N-T-A and children asking questions (particularly during the 9-year change).

Here's the Spiritual Letter from Santa that Kristie Burns from Earthschooling wrote and shared many years ago.

I'd love to create a list of books that you can read with your child to address this question.

The idea is not that the adults in your life have been tricking you. It's that the adults have been creating magic for you, and when you reach a certain age you get to be a part of creating the magic for younger siblings & friends.

One book I remember with clarity. One book I do not.

The book I do not remember is a picture book, I think. In this story, as I recall, the little boy's parents had always put a jingle bell in the ashes on Christmas Eve, for the children to find and think that it fell from the reindeer. When the little boy discovers that there is no Santa, at first he is crestfallen. But then his mother asks him if he would like to be the one to put the bell in the ashes for his little brother to find, and his face lights up!

I would LOVE if someone else knew this story and could share with me the title and author of that book!

The one I clearly remember is a chapter book, On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

On the Banks of Plum Creek
by Laura Ingalls Wilder

from
Chapter 12: The Christmas Horses

"Ma!" she cried. "There IS a Santa Claus, isn't there?"

"Of course there's a Santa Claus," said Ma. She set the iron on the stove to heat again.

"The older you are, the more you know about Santa Claus," she said. "You are so big now, you know he can't be just one man, don't you? You know he is everywhere on Christmas Eve. He is in the Big Woods, and in Indian Territory, and far away in York State, and here. He comes down all the chimneys at the same time. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Ma," said Mary and Laura.

"Well," said Ma. "Then you see --"

"I guess he is like angels," Mary sad, slowly. And Laura could see that, just as well as Mary could.

Then Ma told them something else about Santa Calus. He was everywhere, and besides that, he was all the time.

Whenever anyone was unselfish, that was Santa Claus.

Christmas Eve was the time when everybody was unselfish. On that one night, Santa Claus was everywhere, because everybody, all together, stopped being selfish and wanted other people to be happy. And in the morning you saw what that had done.

"If everybody wanted everybody else to be happy, all the time, then would it be Christmas all the time?" Laura asked, and Ma said, "Yes, Laura."

~ ~ ~

Completely by coincidence, Zac and I arrived this evening at the episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood where he dresses up in a Santa costume.

Amazon describes this episode as "help[ing] children understand Santa isn't real" but that is not at all accurate. The episode shows different people -- Mister Rogers and Chef Brockett -- trying on the same Santa costume and it fits Chef Brockett better. Then Chef Brockett visits the Neighborhood of Make-Believe while he is still dressed as Santa. He reassures Daniel Tiger that all children are good children (even when they think they are bad because they make mistakes), and the song in the bakery is about this too. It is very sweet.

They also emphasize that anybody can sound like or look like Santa, and Santa can sound like or look like anybody.

The episode ends with Mister Rogers explaining that some families don't ever talk about Santa, BUT all around the world all people believe that it is important to give and receive love and kindness.

I think the episode (#1261) would be fine if you wanted to transition into a talk about how Santa is another name for the spirit of love, like in the Laura Ingalls Wilder book, and would also be fine if your child doesn't have any questions about Santa.

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