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Even though we've always did the "santa" things, our kids didn't really "get" it until they were about 4...but let me tell you, it's AWESOME!!! The excitement is great!
AJ is turning 7 next week, so he is starting to ask a few questions, like why do some kids get more gifts than others...This came about because we have a giving tree at church, where we choose a child whose family is struggling this holiday and buy him/her a Christmas gift.
This may sound wierd, but we tell the kids that since there are so many kids in the world, moms and dads are the ones who give santa the money to buy the gifts, and some families are less fortunate and don't have the extra money to buy their kids gifts...and that's why we help out, making sure that these kids get gifts from santa as well...
When the boys get to the point where they start to not believe, I will take the message from the Polar Express...I'll tell them more or less that santa is the spirt of Christmas that lives inside of you, and it's up to you whether or not you believe...(of course I'll have watched the move a million more times before then, so I'll be able to relay the message more eloquently - haha)
(And of course, as Catholics, we believe Christmas is Christ's birth, so the boys know that first and foremost, this is what we believe is the true reason for Christmas).
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