Memoir | The Day Santa Died

Quick survey lovelies!
Was Santa an active part of your childhood Christmas traditions?
I mean I serious want you to answer this question in the comments. Do it now...it's ok. You can finish reading in a moment. I'm just really curious! Go on...scroll down and tell your answer. Finished? Great!

So if you were anything like me, Santa was probably mentioned at home and at school. You were introduced to this image of a old guy...stout fellow with a pimped out red suit that gave out FREE gifts just for being a good. In 1988, he seemed like a swell enough guy.

I digress...

So after learning of this fantastical gift giving guy as a small child, you could probably image I was totally on #TeamBelieve! It was all going well. I was on my p's & q's...doing my homework, helping older siblings with chores, not peeking during groping scenes during The Young and the Restless...man, I could just tally up all the "goodness" Santa is seeing in me. As Christmas approached, I'd gotten even more excited. After all the hard and dedication to "being good", I'd sat down and diligently circled all the toys I wanted in the JCPenney Christmas catalog. So here we are...the big day had arrived. Being the youngest in my house meant I went to bed earliest on Christmas Eve. So of course I was always the first one awake on Christmas day! I quickly ran downstairs to go through my "Santa is Definitely Real & I earned these toys" checklist!

First objective: Cookie Test
Welp, all the was left were crumbs
Santa had eaten all the cookies we'd left out for him the night before.

Second Objective: Toy Test
Santa passed this with flying colors. Toys were actually present! Dude is definitely real.

I was so excited to share my findings with my parents. My mother's side of the bed was closet to my parents bed room door. So I attempted to awaken her. She must be told, "hey Santa's real, he really came here & look at all the stuff I got." I vividly remember this day. My lovely mother tried her hardest to entertain me and my (early morning) enthusiasm. Looking back, she was so tired, could barely open her eyes and I had absolutely no clue why. Realizing my mother wasn't going to get out of bed, I went back to peruse the selection of new items and decide what to open next. Yep, that was me...no family needed, I got this! So as I continued tearing into wrapping paper, the sun had came up. Still alone, I took a step back to marvel at what was before me...every single gift. I'm Telling y'all If I Knew God Back then...this Preschooler would have been shouting up in that living room! Lol might have even run a lap around the coffee table. I'm silly, stick with me, we're coming to the climatic end. 

I started to notice something on a few of the boxes that I hadn't noticed before. There was an orange small tag a many of the items. That small tag read a faded little message. It read "Toys R' Us $9.99"... While enjoying a candy cane, in that very instant, it was all clear. There was no other conclusion than my parents had murdered Santa! Now in 1988, I was 4 years old and I could clearly read that price tag. On that Christmas morning, it was all over. I knew Santa wasn't real and I knew then my parents sat those toys out and were sleepy because of it! 

That was the day that the idea of Santa died. December 25, 1988 here lies the memory of a fictional character named Santa and Christmas will never be same! I didn't speak a word of this story to my parents until many years later. I think I was a preteen once I decided to share my memory.

So, what are your earliest holiday memories? Share in the comments below! 

Talk to you later lovelies,

~Shan, Ms. Naturally Random

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