She immediately said, “I knew it!, but what do I tell Anna?” Anna is her best friend at school. Doug said, “Well, just don’t tell Anna yet, let her parents tell her when she asks them.” She’ll be good with that.

Anyway, guess who starts crying? No, not Emily. Me! If you’re a mom reading this, you totally understand and know what this means. Christmas just won’t be the same.

By the time a child ‘gets’ the whole idea of Santa, they’re at least 3, they start doubting at 7 or 8, which means you have really only about 4 or 5 years of playing “Santa.” I guess I should be thankful she made it this long, but I was really hoping for one more Santa Christmas.

She’s my youngest, we’re not having any more and now she knows the truth about Santa. Emily looks at me and says, “Mom, (she stopped calling me ‘mommy’ 3 years ago)… Mom, why are you sad?”

I was so choked up I couldn’t speak. Doug says, “Well, Emily, it’s because you’re growing up.”

She wasn’t even upset at the fact that we just told her there was no Santa!

So, we just sat there talking for a few more minutes and she asked, “What did you do with all the celery and cookies?” We said, “We ate them.”

“Ooh!!” she said… “This Christmas, I’ll do that, too.”

Of course, I’m now weeping, Emily comes over to me, gives me a big hug and says, “Aw.. it’s alright mom. All kids have to grow up sometime.”

Yea, I know, honey, but you’re only 8, not 18, although I know that will be here soon enough.