Do You Believe in Santa?

Dear Dee:
There are these popular kids at school, and they don't believe in Santa Claus. And I DO believe in Santa!

What should I say to them when they ask me if I believe in Santa Claus?

You should tell them the truth! Explain to them why you believe in Santa and that for you, he’s a big part of the holiday experience. It helps you remember the excitement of Christmas when you were younger and believing in Santa keeps the excitement going.

There are enough childhood illusions that easily become ruined when we get older. Santa doesn’t have to be one of them. Do I believe in Santa? I most certainly do. I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus and I love what he represents -- kindness, goodness and giving. That’s what the holidays are all about. And if you and I choose to believe this jolly dude exists in the form of a red-suited reindeer-riding bearded man, that’s our prerogative. And we’re proud of it.

Let the popular kids poke fun. They only do because they’re too absorbed in themselves to think of the happiness the spirit of Santa brings to the holidays. So basically, they’re Scrooges. We aren’t. K? (And Santa is totally giving them stockings full of green slime ... coal is so last year.)