December 24, 2001 - Monday
This evening I listened to Harry's mother try to explain about how Santa Claus was going to come down our chimney tonight and fill up the stocking that she was trying to get Harry interested in hanging on the brickwork in our house next to the woodstove. It wasn't a particularly rehearsed story - it was after all the first time we had talked to Harry about Santa - and Harry simply stood there, clearly not connecting with what she was talking about. There's no way to know, of course, how many of the words Harry understood and how much of the idea was accepted or rejected out of hand, but Harry sure looked confused. Was he amazed at the marvel that was being described? Was he dumbfounded that one of his parents would be telling him this tale which could not possibly be true? Was one of his parents lying to him outright? or just being funny with him? I suspect Harry just didn't have any way to comprehend what she was talking about and that it was just his mother and I who were self-conscious about the deception that we were trying to feed to our child. I know, Christmas is a childhood wonder and the story of Santa Claus is part of it and we'll surely work on this it years to come. But, tonight it felt like just a really big lie to an unsuspecting boy.


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