Goodbye Santa

I sat in front of my dorm room window, as I watched the snowflakes kiss the ground and people rushing around the courtyard.

I took out my snowflake charm necklace and touched it with my long fingers. As I admired the necklace, a single tear escaped from my eyes and dripped down my pale cheeks. This necklace brought a sad memory of my childhood.

It all started with saying goodbye to Santa Claus.

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My eyes fluttered open, when realization hit me. Today, was Christmas Day and that was my favorite holiday. Christmas was a time of spending time with family, opening presents, and celebrating Jesus's birth.

I jumped out of bed with excitement, as I thought of all the presents I might get. I could get a new book or a phone! There were also Santa's gifts, which were special because they came from the North Pole and made by elves.

I quickly brushed my teeth to get rid of morning breath and then, I braided my blonde hair to the side.

As I walked downstairs, the aroma of pancakes and freshly made cookies hit me and my stomach began to rumble. I was starving, but my hunger could wait. I had to open my presents, first!

I reached the living room, where my family's tall evergreen Christmas tree stood. Underneath the tree, were billions of presents wrapped in red, green, and gold.

My parents and my brother gathered around the tree with smiles on their faces. My younger brother, being anxious to open his present, already had a huge red gift in his hands. I rolled my eyes, as I took a seat beside him.

"Time to open presents!" my brother shouted.

After his words, he immediately ripped his present apart, revealing a huge blue and white train. His eyes lit up and a huge smile appeared on his face, while he made little train noises.

"I like trains so much! Choo! Choo!" my brother exclaimed. He began to jump around with his train and hands in the air. He was definitely excited. "Your turn, Laura!"

My brother, Liam, shoved a small green present up my face. I smiled at the present, hoping it was something that I would like.

I began to rip the wrapping paper off of the present, which revealed a small white box. I looked up at my parents and my brother, who were anxiously watching me. I lifted the small lid off of the box and my hands touched a silver necklace.

I lifted up the silver necklace and there was a silver snowflake charm, which sparkled from the sunlight.

"This is so beautiful!" I squealed and looked at my gift in awe. I put on the necklace around my neck, as I received its cold touch against my skin.

I looked down at the small, white box and noticed a little note with writing inside. I picked up the note and quickly unfolded it. I looked at the note and saw that it was from Santa Claus.

Dear Laura,

You have been a very good girl this year and I'm very proud of you. You have been such a great example to your brother and have helped your parents around the house.

However, I have bad news for you. It looks like you have grown up too fast and I can't give presents to a big girl, anymore. I hope you understand. Now, I wanted to give you something special as a reminder of me.

Goodbye,
Santa Claus

I finished the note and a tear escaped from my eyes. Am I really a big girl, now? Is this really true?

I got up with the letter in my hand. "I don't want to grow up!" I shouted at no one in particular. I immediately stormed upstairs and into my room, ignoring everything in the world.

I jumped into my bed and buried my face into my big, purple pillow. Tears streamed down my face, as I crumpled up Santa's letter in my hand.

"I don't want to grow up," I mumbled into the pillow.

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Saying goodbye to Santa was an awful experience of my childhood. I cried for days because I wasn't ready to grow up, yet. However, everyone has to grow up, including me; it's a part of life.

That day, I didn't just say goodbye to Santa, I said goodbye to my entire childhood. Santa was a huge part of my childhood. He motivated me to be a good child for many years and was part of a Christmas tradition. Now, he's gone from my life.

Being a child was so much easier than being an adult. Children are so innocent and naive with no worries at all while adults deal with stress and pain from the world. Unfortunately, I was no longer a child. I was finally entering the real world, full of worries and pain.

I will never be a child again, but I can always look back at the memories.

Author's Note: This is my entry for beautifultragedies Winter Contest. Please comment, vote, and share!

I'm an amateur writer so this might not be my best piece of work, but I hope you like it, anyway.

Happy New Year!
sourpatchkidmaddie