A Fairy Merry Christmas

"Your sister is at Toys R Us on Christmas Eve Eve?"

Alas, yes, yes, she was. Because her daughter did the old SantaSwitcheroo. In other words, Fake Anastasia Video, Go Fairies...and wait till the last week before Christmas to tell FOUR SANTAS that she wants Something Different from What Her Parents Already Bought.

My problem is not that I am concerned about my daughter having her True Desire/Wishes Come True/Heart's Content. My problem is that I am invested in her Believing In and Trusting Santa. This is probably both Hereditary and a psychological case of Projection. I was a Santa Skeptic to the extent that my parents made me watch A Miracle on 34th Street, while they loomed in the background, arguing, "So...what about the letters to Santa, huh? They HAVE TO BE DELIVERED. THAT'S THE LAW! Are you convinced, OR WHAT?" I have no idea what the next round of brainwashing might have entailed--maybe waterboarding?--because my rational mind bought the courtroom argument wholesale. But honestly, my parents Needed Me To Believe in Santa. Badly...because I am the oldest of five siblings, and my youngest sister is thirteen years younger than I. In other words, when I left for college, she was still falling asleep listening for sleigh bells.

But back to my daughter, who doesn't carry the weight of four siblings' faith in Santa on her shoulders. Nevertheless, I can't help but want it all to work for her (as well as her little sister). So if during the last week she happened to encounter Santa 1) at her school, 2) at Story Hour, 3) at her father's workplace party, 4) on the Street in front of a Store when we were Least Expecting It, For Crying OUT LOUD, and 5) at my mother's house on Christmas Eve, and 80% of those times she claimed to want FAIRIES, darn it! There are Going To Be Fairies! So she doesn't claim on Christmas Morn that Santa is a Man Who Does Not Listen.

This is why on Sunday night at 6:15 I headed out to Toys R Us, calling my sister on the way, because I knew she would give me some sympathy. And her husband, safely nestled on the couch, felt my pain, too (hence the opening quote). But I will tell you that there are signs at Toys R Us clearly delineating the way to Disney Fairies. And these signs made it possible for me to pluck the gratuitous fairies from the shelf, clutch them to my chest, and make my way to the checkout stand in less than 15 minutes, where of course we had a Price Check. But nothing could dampen my spirits. I even managed to grab some groceries from the store next door and called my sister from the car less than one hour after departure, bragging about my Holiday/Parental/Shopping Genius. I was home before my daughters' bedtime.

And now we have a Play Kitchen (assembled, miraculously, thankfully! offisite by our daughter's Godmother Claus) carefully staged with accessories for Christmas Morning, and my daughters' table and chairs, set up for a Fairy Tea Party.

And I think that's pretty magical.

Merry Christmas!