Being Santa

As a father of two little boys, Christmas is all about buying lots of toys and giving them lots of chocolate. Many people stress about buying all the presents, not forgetting anything or anyone, avoiding the crowds and so on. I don't. I have a wife that takes care of everything - this year she even bought her own Christmas present herself!

So she took care of sending the list D. made for Santa to the grandparents and then she bought everything on that list as the grandparents had bought other toys. She sent a mail to my sister to buy other presents too. She bought toys and games for our friends' children. She asked me what I want, bought it and then bought me a 'surprise' present as well. And she bought herself some perfumes. 

Facing all this, I couldn't let her go away with it, so I asked D., my firstborn, if he wants to help. I knew my wife's car radio was broken, so I bought another online and had it delivered to a shop. And then my son and I started to share a secret, 'we'll be Santa for mommy'.

One weekend we told her we'll go on a little walk - we did so, but on our way back we stopped at the shop and got the package. Then, at home, we carefully hid it in my coat for a few hours. As soon as she went to take a shower, D. went outside, got it and hid it in 'his special hiding place'. The next day my wife went to pick her parents from the airport - the perfect opportunity to gift wrap the box and then have my son write 'MAMAN' on it in his little i've-just-learned-them letters. Then back in the 'special hiding place' (behind the couch).

Then we waited until Christmas' Eve. And it was visible how he was just boiling inside, dying to tell her about it. He managed to keep the secret - but told her there is a secret. And then he realized we'll have a problem: when will we put the present under the tree? Because in the morning when she wakes up she must find it...

.. so on Christmas' Eve we told her to go upstairs with the little one and then go to sleep AND NOT COME BACK, while we are still playing with some pokemons. Up she went and off he ran to get the present and put in under the tree. He was literally jumping with excitement and happiness. Then I suggested we go upstairs to sleep to and he stopped me. "Dad, we HAVE to play a little with the pokemons, I don't want to lie to mommy!".

This is where he got a huge hug from me... and the next day an even bigger one from his mother, who had found out that Santa had not forgotten her.