As a 30-something mom, I enjoyed playing with my three children's anticipation of the visit from the jolly man in red. When my oldest had just turned 6, we visited the most lifelike and charming Santa and Mrs.Santa. One daughter was entranced, the second, age 4, was not to sure about this stranger and my we bit of a son wanted nothing to do with the situation. I have pictures to prove all of this. On Christmas Eve, we left cookies and milk along with a few carrots for the reindeer on the kitchen table overlooking a bank of windows that looked out on our wintry porch. I scuttled the little ones off to bed after hanging stockings on door nobs, no fire place, with the customary reminders to go to sleep if you want Santa to come.
At daylight, I woke up to daughter #2 exclaiming that she saw reindeer prints outside her bedroom window. I confirmed the prints. Yes, I saw them too. Then daughter number 1 began to tell me how she had woken up in the dark and peeked in the kitchen and she saw Santa sitting at our table eating "her" cookies. I, as a weary mom, did not stay up to perform any Santa or reindeer pranks. But to this day both girls now ages 48 and 46 swear to what they saw. It makes me smile with one of those contented and happy smiles of a good mommy memory of my children and their Christmas memories. No tricks on my part. No one planting reindeer tracks and no one impersonating the old elf himself. Perhaps there really is a Santa Claus at least in the hearts of my daughters and me too.