Not so Secret Santa

It shouldn't have been a surprise really. I've been fighting against the inevitable for the third December in a row.

You may remember last year when I posted about Missy spotting Daddy as Father Christmas when she was as young as 3. Despite us brushing her off, she walked away from Santa's grotto that night saying "That was my Daddy that was" in a loud voice, luckily to no-one but me as we'd got there early enough to be the first ones in and no-one waiting.

All through this time, Monkey has never once referred to Daddy being Father Christmas and yet he was with us both times and must have heard what Missy Woo said. I figured that either he didn't believe Missy Woo (although he's never one to pass up the opportunity of a good old argument with his sister), or - and possibly more likely - he was in denial and thought he'd better keep his trap shut. If he thought he might miss out on a present, I'm betting he'd keep quiet.

So, Daddy was Father Christmas again this year. Luckily, he was meant to be at work anyway, so his absence was easily explained - I told them he was doing a special shift to explain the fact he wouldn't be home until long after bedtime. My plan to get there early was foiled - the children faffed around and we didn't get to school until just before the fair opened and there was already a queue. By the time we got in, there was a few waiting so I decided to herd them round some of the other stalls for a while but once that was done, I decided to join the queue to enter the grotto. I wondered how we'd get on - especially as Missy Woo had asked me about a week ago if Father Christmas was going to be Daddy.

The children were excited about the prospect of seeing Father Christmas; I'm not sure if it was more the idea of the present than of seeing the big man himself. Anyway, time passed and it became our turn. We walked in and sat down and hubby started his spiel. Within seconds, Missy Woo came up to me and put her arms round my neck and whispered "That Father Christmas is Daddy" so I said "Shhhhh." Surprisingly, that worked and she walked back to the chair and sat down. The children played along with his questions and enjoyed Father Christmas's new technology - he had a magic ball which you hold and it detects how naughty and nice the children have been over the last year. And they happily took their presents from Father Christmas and said their thank yous before leaving.

When we got home, it was getting late and I sent them up to get their pyjamas on. They came downstairs and we were looking at the things we'd brought home - prizes, and their presents from Father Christmas. Suddenly, Monkey piped up, "Daddy was Father Christmas, wasn't he? It looked like his face and it sounded like him." First time ever he has admitted he's noticed this. Later, when husband arrived home, he told me he could see Monkey looking at him strangely with a hint of recognition in his eyes so he was not surprised he'd outed him too.

I then launched into the rehearsed speech about how Father Christmas can't get to all the fairs and grottoes all over the world when he's meant to be preparing all the toys and wrapping them ready for Christmas Eve, so he lets some grown ups do this important work for him, but that sometimes, the real Father Christmas turns up and you never know when that is going to be. And I told them they had to keep it a secret that their Daddy was Father Christmas today as I didn't want lots of angry parents collaring me in the playground.

Monkey is now excited about next year's Christmas fair because "it might be the REAL Father Christmas next time." Yes, already. Both children seemed happy to accept my explanation of Daddy being a stand-in for the real thing and why that has to be. The bullet, it would appear, has been dodged. The thing is, when Christmas arrives, they believe completely that Father Christmas does deliver presents for them. They leave a snack out for him and a carrot for the reindeer, and they find some presents at the foot of their bed the next morning. We follow his progress around the world during the day (oh the wonders of the internet!). Father Christmas, for them, is still a very real part of the Christmas magic. And long may it continue.

Daddy may have been outed - he's our not so secret Santa - but I'm hoping that Father Christmas works his magic over Monkey and Missy Woo for some time to come. I know the window is narrowing - and my children are smart little cookies - but the biggest part of the magic of Christmas is hoping that Father Christmas will visit your house and the excitement when he does, bringing all those lovely presents with him, is what makes Christmas morning.

All aboard the Santa Express

The children with a friend 

You may remember a few weeks ago, I took the children to the National Railway Museum in York and I blogged about our VIP day. I didn't expect to be back so soon but we were invited to visit again and this time, try out Santa's Steam Adventure on the launch day last Saturday. This time, there were four of us as husband had taken a day off.

We arrived to collect our tickets and stopped for a coffee with Jen and Cass, who were also there with their children for the occasion. The children were super-giddy at the prospect of seeing Santa - although they know this one is not "the real Santa" - mainly because Missy Woo knew when she was 3 that her daddy was the Santa at the school Christmas fair, so we have to come up with a plausible explanation for this! They were keen to get a look at Santa's workshop and we'd been advised to allow some time for this. In reality, unless it's really busy, you don't need too long if your children are as giddy as mine were. They leg it down through and although they stopped to look at things, we were left kicking our heels a bit and the children were champing at the bit to get on the train.

Silent Sunday

Secret Santa

Picture the scene. Last year's school Christmas Fair. The children and I were queueing to go and see Father Christmas in his grotto. Daddy was at work. Only he wasn't. Well, he was. He WAS Father Christmas sat in the room we were about to enter, I knew this and getting nervous that they would realise and have their illusions shattered.

He'd done Father Christmas before with the children around, but back then, Monkey was scared of him and Missy Woo was still a baby. Daddy reported back afterwards that if either of them twigged who he was, it was Missy Woo - she may have been under 6 months but he saw the recognition in her eyes as she looked at his face. 

Queueing up, Missy Woo was not keen to go in - she was having her phase of being scared of Father Christmas. Monkey just wanted his present! 

Eventually, we went in. Neither were keen to sit on his knee, but both stood there transfixed as he spoke to them, bringing up little details so that they knew that Father Christmas was watching them all the time. After a couple of minutes of chat, they took their presents, said their good byes and walked out of what was actually the Y3 classroom temporarily converted to Santa's pad. 

We walked out of the door in silence. And then it happened. Missy Woo turned to me, took my hand and  as we passed the queue waiting their turn to be called into the inner sanctum, said in the clearest voice possible:

"Mummy, that Father Christmas sounded just like Daddy."

Cue a few sniggers from those that knew who we were, me stifling a laugh and trying to maintain a straight face whilst shepherding the children away before she said anything else to the assembled throng. 

Thankfully, that was largely that. Monkey never said anything and I still, to this day, don't know if it is because he didn't notice the same or he is just in denial. Missy Woo made one further reference to it the following day when she told Daddy that Father Christmas sounded like him. Having been briefed by me, he managed to come up with a suitable brush off and it was never mentioned it again. 

Tonight is once again the Christmas fair at school. And yes, once again, Daddy is Father Christmas. He likes doing it, he's good at it and the school ask him to do it. I am not really sure what to expect this time. I'm hoping Daddy can disguise his voice a bit better this time, because I love their innocence. I love that they have a sense of wonder at the magical things about Christmas. OK, they are fabrications but it makes Christmas special for them. In the meantime, I have to think up a suitable and plausible explanation if either of them - especially Missy Woo, there are no flies on her - manages to out him completely. 

Maybe by this time tomorrow, Santa won't be quite so secret after all. Wish me luck!