By Jennifer Clement
Staff Writer
When you are a small child on Christmas Eve, you await the arrival of the big fat jolly man known as Santa Claus. Some brave children stay up all night to sneak out of the comfort of their beds to catch a glimpse of Santa, only to find their parents placing neatly wrapped boxes full of unknown pleasures under the tree signed by the one and only Santa.
The parents confront the child by lying saying they are Santa’s Helpers. But the child has seen to much already and knows the sickening truth. The child’s hearts implode, then turn to nothingness as they wander off back to their bed sad and lonely. Feeling utter betrayal, their innocence melts like heated snow.
Every child has to deal with the reveal of the identity of Santa some time in their youth. A traumatic moment that sends children’s dreams out the window. Everyone finds out in a different way. Some less dramatic, some earth shattering.
There are times when the parents are the dream breakers. And the child has to find out the hard way.
“My parents told me when I was little,” said senior Aaron Borer.
Some mothers and fathers don’t want to lie to their children, so they don’t even tell the children about Santa in the first place. Then that child goes to school and tells everyone that Santa is not real, ruining the fun for everyone else.
Some people are at fault for their own disappointment. Some people can’t handle secrets. They do not like the unexpected. So they go “exploring” around the house in search of gifts only to find an unpleasant surprise.
Freshman Nicole Church found out one day when she was snooping around. She was already halfway on the “Santa is not real” bandwagon. She was not surprise, but a bit disappointed.
While Church went looking for trouble, some poor unfortunate souls find out unexpectedly.
“I found the Santa costume in my basement. I was heartbroken,” said science teacher Mr. Mills.
Some smart children figured it out on their own. They noticed things other children did not. Such as Santa using the same wrapping paper as their parents. Or they wonder how in the world Santa could make a iPod touch when in the movies the elves use wood to make their gifts.
And, the always asked question, how does Santa get to everyone’s house in one night?
“The Santa Claus they had at the mall did not look like Santa, they always looked different.” said math teacher Mrs. Harders
It is a horrible point in a child’s life when they find out the truth of Santa; They will always remember when and how they found out. It will haunt them forever.
Merry Christmas!
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