Keep your sparkle

And that day happened. It was in September, one day that we were in Ikea. I was alone with Gabrielle, and I was complaining that Christmas decorations were already in the store. Then she asked the question: Does Santa really exists? 

I tried my usual trick: "If Santa did not exist, there would be no Christmas magic". Or "Kids around the world would not have so much gifts and joy if they did not believe in Santa".

And you know, a believer is a believer. When you believe, or want to believe, whatever people tell you, it will not change your mind. Same for religion, rumors, conspiracies, and so on. Just try to tell someone who believes that Armstrong walking on the moon was fake that it's only paranoïa. They will just think YOU are the fool. When I was a kid, I heard other kids saying that Père Noël was a myth, but I still believed in him. Raphaël told me last year that a little girl of his class was a fool, she thought that parents were those who put the gifts under the Christmas tree. "How stupid is that!". So Gabrielle, last year, when asking the same question, was perfectly fine with my answer. It was enough for her. But this year, no. She knew my tricks, and asked more precisely: Is it, or is it not, you who put the gifts under the tree?? I just want to know. Is it Santa or the parents?

So I had to answer: Parents make Santa myth alive as long as the child believes in him. So, since the kids believe in him, he exists. When they grow up enough to understand it is a myth, then he no longer exists. No more Christmas magic for them. But you can BE the Christmas magic now, with us. You can help us prepare that wonderful night, and be a part of the Santa Claus myth. It's a lot a fun and joy to be on the other side. The only condition is to keep the secret, and never tell the little ones. That magic is too beautiful to be broken before you are grown up enough to understand by yourself. 

I remember when I discovered that Père Noël was a myth, I think I was 7 or so. I just realized that it was not possible. To be in every child's home at the same time was not possible. One after one, maybe. But even if you are very very fast, like 1 second by home, even with the time differences around the world, it would take months to distribute gifts and toys under every Christmas tree. So, last possibility was that Santa was in every home at the same time: but that would mean there are as many Santas as there are trees. So, there must be a Santa in every home. And then, Santa was in my home, and I had two suspects: mom and dad. And Christmas magic broke that day. Two much logic in my twisted little mind. I was the youngest of the family kids. So, when I stopped believing, the Christmas magic was gone for good from home... until I had children. Then we could start over letting a hot cocoa for Père Noël near the Sapin, because he needs to get warm before he goes back in the very cold night. We could start over the Christmas gifts hiding, the surprises, the carrot for Rudoplh, the lettre au Père Noël, and so on.

Of course, we are Catholic, and when the kids asked WHY Père Noël was doing gifts to children, I used to answer that Christmas was actually Jesus' birthday. But since he's so generous, Père Noël, who is actually Saint Nicolas, was distributing gifts to all the children, to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. And this is why, actually, parents are not in Santa's list. Grown up do gifts for grown up. Not Santa, he only takes care of the little ones. We also have Saint Nicholas' holiday, on December 6, when he gives oranges and gingerbreads.

So now that Gabrielle fell over to the dark secret side of the force magic, things are a little different. But she is 9, so that was actually strange that she still believed in Santa. She's keeping the secret pretty well. She waits for the boys to be away to ask all those questions she has in mind "mom, so who used to eat the cookie for Santa??" "dad" "and the carrot?" "dad too" "So you're Santa and he's rudolph?" "almost... I find the presents and he carries them. Yep, he's rudolph!"

Yesterday, I was thinking of birds, and their graciousness. Even the pigeon, who has a bad reputation, is gracious. I thought of the carrier pigeon, and how magical it was. Think of it: that bird, with no map, no gps, can find his way back. How cool is it? I'm sure by now scientists have probably found the answer of HOW it is able to do that. And magic is gone... it's became logical, scientific, normal. Even though all animals cannot do that. It seems basic, when it was magical. I remember a radio I heard a year or so ago (you can hear it here). The man is a middle-age specialist, and talks about churches tympanum. But during that show, he spoke a lot about middle-age myths. They used to believe in other types of humans. And they believed in monsters. At the time, animals were divided in four categories: Animals of the air (birds), Animals of the land with four legs, snakes, and animals of the water (fishes). If an animal is a cross between two categories, then it is a monster. Dragons have snake skin, can fly, and four legs, they are monsters. Same about hypogriffs that are between birds and horse. Sirens are the mix between humans and fish. I discovered a new mythological animal recently, known in America: the Jackalope. A mix between a rabbit and a deer. Two different categories: just another monster. 

 

We used to believed in those myths, and magic disappeared when science took over and explained many of the animal world. Dragons were dinosaurs, and all dead. Unicorns were just the explanation of the narwhal corn found in nothern seas. And the jackalope is now just a rabbit with a papilloma virus! And it's funny to see that we created a new myth: a human with superpower who rides with flying reindeers. The more down-to-earth our world is, the more we want our children to believe in this man, and the more successful stories like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars are. Yes, we, adults and raisonable people, know they are not real, but we really try to make them exist, or try to live in those fantasies. We have santas in every mall. We want to prove kids how real he is: we can follow his track thanks to google. French official post service do answer to the children's lettres au Père Noël from all over the world (we'll try). And there's also his TV internet channel.

Some will say it's all about capitalism trying to make more money. But I think our society sells dreams because we need dreams. We want magic, we want fairy tales, we want happy ending, we want myths, we want an ideal world where every kid would have the same treats: poor or rich, naughty or nice. I remember last year, at a science museum. A man was doing some chemistry demonstration. Some liquid was turning different colors. He asked the children "isn't it magical?". All kids, excited and happy, said "YES". He answered: "no, it's not magical, it's chemical!". Well, no, sir. It's is magical. It's not because we are actually able to explain it, that it is not wonderful anymore. Just like a pigeon that can fly back home, just like a rainbow after a storm, just like discovering surprises presents under the Christmas tree. Whatever the reason that make something happen, the only fact that it happens is magical, as long as we want to see it with children eyes. Christmas is magic as long as adults are working on producing sparkles in the little ones' eyes.

So yes indeed, my angel Gabrielle, papa eats the carrot, and maman wraps the gifts. And you will still have a wonderful and magical Christmas, because you will participate in the fairy and you'll see something miraculous happening: adults become children again. They'll be more kind, more joyful, more generous, more peaceful, more cheerful. Some will wear costumes (santa, elf or just an ugly christmas sweater). Some will decorate their home without any grown-up-raisonable-usual moderation. And most of them will have sparkles in their eyes too.

This is the season to be jolly falalala lalalala!

May the owl take your santa letter to the north pole, where the hobbits will prepare your toys. May the Grinch and Scrooge meet in the Pole express. May a reindeer be actually a unicorn, and Jackalopes help the easter bunny. May the Force be with you, and with your Christmas spirit.