Finding out the truth about Santa. How did you find out?
I was six years, five months old in January 1971. One cold and wet afternoon I was bored. After I'd gotten through scouring The TV Guide, I found some ladies magazine from the month before and started looking through it.
There was a picture of Santa Claus which got my attention and alongside it was the famous Virginia O'Hanlon question, "Is there a Santa Claus?" I could read enough to get the gist of her question but most of the answer was lost on me.
I was stunned. It had never occurred to me to question the existence of Santa Claus. Of course, he was real. He had to be real. But now the question was in my head.
I thought about it for a few days and finally decided to ask my mom. I asked her while I was in the tub and the look on her face in reaction to my question was the clincher. She was too shocked to lie.
Damn that Virginia!
I was six years, five months old in January 1971. One cold and wet afternoon I was bored. After I'd gotten through scouring The TV Guide, I found some ladies magazine from the month before and started looking through it.
There was a picture of Santa Claus which got my attention and alongside it was the famous Virginia O'Hanlon question, "Is there a Santa Claus?" I could read enough to get the gist of her question but most of the answer was lost on me.
I was stunned. It had never occurred to me to question the existence of Santa Claus. Of course, he was real. He had to be real. But now the question was in my head.
I thought about it for a few days and finally decided to ask my mom. I asked her while I was in the tub and the look on her face in reaction to my question was the clincher. She was too shocked to lie.
Damn that Virginia!
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sleepy - Current Music:Office Conversations
Comments
http://www.youtube.com/?v=0yYfF6hWsmM
I hope my silly montage video gave you a giggle or three.
You should check out a recent post on my LJ of Republicans watching Usher & Mandy Moore sing a Christmas Carol. It is teh funny as they say on the internet.
Her hair, that dress, her cutiepie face?
Color me jealous. :-)
The funniest thing to me is that I had already given up on such "silly" ideas as the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, but there was absolutely no way that Santa couldn't have been real. Nevermind that the "From Santa" that was always written on the presents was in what I really knew was my dad's handwriting. :)
And I hadn't even considered the fact that the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny were part of the deal when I asked about Santa. That was just one more stinky aspect of the discovery process.
http://www.youtube.com/?v=0yYfF6hWsmM
All of this did not auger well.
Practical kid that I was, though, I refrained from telling my mom for a whole year - I was concerned that no longer believing in Santa meant that I was no longer eligible for gifts.
The only reaction I remember from my mom was one of total relief. I guess hiding the pressies and waiting until we went to bed to bring them out was a pain in the butt.
http://www.youtube.com/?v=0yYfF6hWsmM
I laughed for weeks over those photographs.
If I'm not laughing at the reactions of the children, I'm shivering in fear over some of those Santas.
That one towards the end, with the mask? VERYSCARY.
http://www.youtube.com/?v=0yYfF6hWsmM
I knew very, very young.
I was the oldest of two, then three. It was the 1970s, and we were middle class, but more towards the modest/poor end of things.
I was bright, intelligent, well-read, and well, not much slipped by my inquisitiveness. I put 2+2 together pretty easy and solved "Nancy Drew & The Mystery of Santa's Suit" damned quickly.
But, I didn't rat Santa out to my brothers. I kept the secret, helped Mom & Dad make the surprise & mystery last for as many years as I possibly could.
Everyone is still alive, but the holidays are so chock full of family politics it just makes me sad. I just want to bolt for Tijauna & hole up with a hooker or three.
The things I miss most of all:
1. Sitting on the couch late Christmas Eve, with as few lights on as possible save for the tree, rereading Dickens "A Christmas Carol".
2. Walking home from work (retail bookstore) in the cold and stopping at United Dairy Farmers and picking up everything I could find for sundaes for everyone to make & enjoy at home. Sprinkles. Cherries. Nuts. The whole ball of wax.
3. Moving presents out of the way and laying under the tree (with those HUGE 1970s colored light bulbs) and making myself cry so all the lights sparkled, twinkled and flared like rainbows in my eyes.
Time for bed now. :-)
I used to love to read by the light of the Christmas tree while listening to the Andy Williams Christmas album!
We had a stereo, but virtually no money to purchase LPs with, unless we picked them up at neighborhood garage sales.
My favorite one was a collection of carols sung in French. The other favorite was Disco Noel. *hahaha* And, of course, The Chipmunks on red vinyl. ALVIN!
I wished we lived closer.
That would be simply divine. ::sigh::