The Santa Test

By Jenna Lane Knowles

At every point in a child's life the question comes to mind of whether or not Santa Claus is real. We hear murmurs and rumors that he is not. Some kids question the flying reindeer, the chubby old man fitting down chimneys and traveling to every child's house in one night, while other children never have a doubt in their mind that he is real. They have their proof when they wake up Christmas morning and Santa Claus has eaten their cookies, filled their stockings and left a note saying thank you.

My baby sister Lauren had that question when she was 5 years old. She heard that Santa Claus wasn't real and that it was the mommies and daddies that filled the stockings. She wanted to find out for herself if it was true, so the clever little girl decided she was going to try something I like to call "The Santa Test."

Mom took Lauren to see Santa Claus at the mall every December, but this particular visit was a little different from the rest. Lauren made up her mind that she was going to keep secret what she wanted for Christmas this year. She had everything worked out in her mind. She decided that if she told only Santa and nobody else what she wanted, then if she got what she asked for, she would know that Santa was real.

So this year as Lauren went up to sit on Santa's lap and whisper in his ear, Mom knew exactly what to do. While Lauren was sitting on Santa's lap, Mom quietly asked me to go talk to Santa and see what Lauren had asked for. When Lauren came down from Santa's lap, Mom kept her preoccupied with candy and toys. Of course, she was doing what she could to distract her, while I went and had a chat with Mr. Santa Claus. Oh, how clever parents can be!

I approached Santa and questioned him, "Hey, Santa, can you tell me what my sister asked for so we can make her wish come true?"

Santa so willingly replied, "Oh dear, that's my job! I'll get her what she asked for if she continues to be a good girl! But, I would love to tell you ..."

He went on to tell me that what Little Miss Lauren had asked for was a white stuffed animal bunny rabbit.

I gave Santa a big smile, "Thanks, Santa, you're the best!" He smiled and said, "Thank you, dear! Have a wonderful Christmas!"

Santa Claus and I said our goodbyes, and I continued onward to catch up to my loved ones. Later that evening, I shared my knowledge with my mommy, letting her know that Lauren had asked for the bunny rabbit. Mom then put her knowledge to use.

A couple weeks went by, and Christmas Eve was here. We went about our day with the usual Christmas Eve routine. We cleaned, cooked, visited with family members and friends, laughed and ate. With all of the events filling our day, the hours had passed and evening had come; it was time for our parents to send us to bed. Daddy read us a story and then sent us on our way.

As most children do, we had some trouble falling asleep. Who wouldn't, with all of those sugar plums dancing in their heads? Eventually, we fell asleep and Christmas morning had come. Lauren, being the anxious and excited little girl she was, woke up first and came to wake me up as well. We went upstairs together, filled with eagerness, to see what Santa had left in our stockings.

The stockings were laid out neatly on the couch in the family room, each one stuffed full of goodies, along with one present sitting next to it. Lauren and I scouted out our own stockings and dove in. We found all kinds of exciting treasures, but little Miss Lauren found one thing that made her as happy as I'd ever seen her. Next to her stocking was a treasure: It was fluffy, with black eyes, long white ears and a little white tail. It was a stuffed animal bunny. She grabbed the bunny and held it in her arms tightly; she was overwhelmed with joy.

The little girl looked up at me with excitement in her eyes and exclaimed, "Jenna! Santa is real! He is!"

I giggled at her and said, "Of course he is, I already told you that, silly!" Lauren ran down the hall with the bunny in her arms, eager to show Mom and Dad what Santa had brought her. I went back to my stocking to finish looking at what "Santa" had brought me, when I noticed something that I hadn't seen before. It was a little blue box; I opened it and inside I found the beautiful sparkly bracelet that I had wanted from the mall! I was so happy that I got what I wanted! While I was putting the bracelet on my wrist I realized that I hadn't asked my mom for it. ... I hadn't asked anyone for it.

In a soft whisper the words came from my mouth, "Santa, you are real."