News-Record.com

I was amused at Christmas at how my kids handled the issue of the big man -- Santa, that is. They are 10 and 8, and that's plenty old enough to have doubts. But it's also young enough not to want to voice them, just in case.

So we did a little dance. They insisted on checking out the NORAD site that tracks Santa as we do every year, but they couldn't resist discussing how it looks fakey, and suggested that maybe their younger cousins would be better viewers. They insisted on leaving out milk and cookies, while at the same time marveling at the possiblity of Santa fitting down our chimney, in that wink-wink kind of way. And the next morning, when I asked if they'd heard any sleigh bells or thuds on the roof, they allowed that, yes, perhaps they had.

Some people say that kids act like this because they don't want to risk not getting presents. I don't know. I'd like to believe that my kids want to hold onto the magic -- and to their childhood -- for as long as possible. I'm all for it.