Some myths are worth retaining
Re “Leaving Santa behind,” Opinion, Dec. 24
Kerry Madden’s story of how she broke the news to first her son, then her daughter, that there was no Santa was touching. It reminded me of how my granddaughter learned the truth. She was 9 years old and watching TV with her dad. He was a cynic. Something about Santa came on the television and he snorted derisively, and she immediately picked up on it, perhaps having had some suspicions of her own about the existence of St. Nick. Her dad then told her that Santa was an imaginary being.
Later that evening, as I was staying over and sharing one of the bunks of her bunk bed, she asked me about it, wanting me to confirm the awful truth that her dad had told her. I explained that Santa was the spirit of giving and lived in all our hearts. She took my hand, squeezed it and said, “Yeah, well, I just hope that nothing happens to the Easter Bunny.”
Dale Jennings
Boulevard, Calif.
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Madden’s “Leaving Santa behind” moved me to tears and reminded me of the letter my husband wrote to our then-9-year-old daughter many years ago when the girls down the street told her there was no Santa. Both Madden’s and my husband’s were wonderful letters about the spirit of the season, giving, hope and imagination. Both letters remind us that to believe is a wonderful gift, whether we believe in Santa, fairies, love or each other.
Debbie Musser
La Habra