A Baker's Dozen of Christmas What-Ifs

A Christmas Revival

The Twelve Prompts of Christmas - Prompt #6

Your character is going to experience a sudden flashback, prompted by something that happens unexpectedly.  Your flashback has to take your character back to their early childhood, and it has to be a memory that has been buried for years.  One that helps your character to understand a certain behavioral trait they've had for years.

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"Mom, is there really a Santa Claus?"

There they were. Those words every mother dreads. The end of innocence as control passes into her child's hands.

"Yes, Joey, there is." I could say, and postpone the inevitable. Or I could give him a hug, say "No, my sweetheart, there isn't," and feel guilty forever.

Somehow, neither choice tasted right. I mean, this is a very sweet boy we're talking about, and only seven years old. How could I lie to him? Or worse, how could I take away, at this tender age, the romance which lasted me through the fifth grade?

Inspiration gleamed through the haze. I followed.

"What makes you ask, Jo-bo?"

"Well, only two kids in our class believe in him. Three including me. Is he real, Mom?"

"Hard to say, hard to say." No, temporizing wasn't going to help. So I dived in.

"When I was a little girl Santa didn't just come at night. On Christmas Eve we would wait by the window, scratching designs in the frost until, just before bedtime, he would arrive. Somehow we always knew Santa's station wagon. As soon as the car pulled up he would leap out with his sack. Bells would jingle, and as we rushed to the door, there he would be ... Santa Claus!"

"The real Santa, Mom, or just a helper like the guy with the bell at the subway? Is he the real Santa, the subway guy?"

This wasn't going to be easy.

"Well, I was pretty sure this guy was Santa. He felt all chilly and furry like the North Pole, and in his bag he'd have a present for each of us with our name on it, tied with twine. He always spelled our names right, and that wasn't easy! So, I'm pretty sure it was at least a very important elf.

But you know, in fifth grade someone told me Santa was a fake, like your friends did. My best friend, Besty Payne laughed at me when I told her I was excited about seeing him.

'That's just the Principal of Center School!' she told me, 'My mom works at the school when all the parents bring the presents, and then the fake Santas bring them to you.'"

"You're not helping..." Joey sang in warning.

"You know, kiddo, I don't know who I was madder at, Betsy or my mom. I stormed into the house and demanded an explanation. Mom said it was true, they were only helpers, and this year I could help her keep the secret."

"But what about when you're asleep? What about that Santa? My friends say that's the moms." Joey was desolate. I couldn't leave him that way!

"Hmmmm. I'm a mom, myself, (in case you haven't noticed)..."

"Funny, Mom."

"...and one of my favorite things to do is to plan special gifts for you that I know you'll love. It's really fun seeing you all happy."

"But sometimes things show up on Christmas morning that nobody planned. I started noticing this after you were born. Before that I was still getting stockings from my Mom, and I took it all for granted. Then, when I became the official Santa's helper, strange things started happening."