My son and I have been going around and around on the Tooth Fairy thing because I decided to stop sneaking into his room pre-dawn every time he managed to lose a tooth. I finally let him catch me so the "jig is up" in that area. He has accepted the fact that mom is the Tooth Fairy.
So, that brought up the issue of the Easter Bunny. He started bugging me soon after he learned about my tooth stealing side job, asking, "So, does that mean you're the Easter Bunny, too?"
I managed to change the subject each time he asked, until last Friday. I'd bought the chocolates and toys for his Easter basket, and had to carry it all around with me on Friday because it get to be 700 degrees in my little black car. Meetings, errands, and more meetings with a bag full of Easter stuff at my side.
My son saw one of the toys sticking out of the bag and he commented on it--because it was obviously something for him. I told him to quit snooping & he kind of left it alone. Then later that day he brought it up. "So, are you the Easter Bunny?" I told him he'd find out on Sunday. Sure enough, Sunday morning came around and he found his basket with chocolates, a card from me and my boyfriend, and of course the little toys I'd gotten him. He asked no more questions!!!!
I told my brother about it, and he agreed that it is indeed time to stop with the charade because his daughter is the same age as my son and they're starting to ask WAAAY too many questions. We've decided to drag the Santa thing out till the end of time, though. As long as we can get away with it, we're gonna do it.
Each year I push the Santa Envelope even further, with elaborate stunts. One year I had my boyfriend on the roof in the dark, shaking jingle bells so Shay could hear them. While Shay was running outside to catch a glimpse of the sleigh, I was hurriedly putting the "Santa" toys out under the tree. He came in, disappointed because it was too dark and he missed seeing the sight of a lifetime--but then blown away because the evidence was there under the tree.
We visit the website for NORAD every Christmas eve, to check out their Santa Tracking system. It's helpful because I don't have to answer the question, "When do you think Santa will be here?" because their tracking map shows exactly where he's at and when he'll be to Arizona.
Last year, I set mylarm for 2 am, and I quietly put all the presents out. Then I went outside Shay's bedroom window and shook the jingle bells until I was satisfied he'd heard them. I used all different wrapping paper on the Santa presents, and the gift tags were all written with my right hand instead of my left. I've gotten it to the point where I actually enjoy the challenge!!
This year, it's going to be even more elaborate. I'm likely going to be enlisting the help of a relative, who might be able to put the Santa presents out while we're in the back yard having a little warming fire. (we have a neat fireplace out next to the pool, with chairs and tables) I gotta figure out who's gonna jingle the bells......
