Santa?

  Is Santa real?  My five year old son Ethan has asked this question a few times over this past Christmas season.  For most people the answer would be a simple yes or no.  But for our family it is a little more complicated.
  My husband grew up not believing in Santa.  While I grew up believing in Santa.  My husband appreciated knowing the truth and empowered because he wasn't "lied to like the other kids."  I am happy to have grown up with the magic and mystery of Santa.  I remember waking up in the morning and running out to the living room and seeing what Santa brought my siblings and me. 
  And even though I believed in Santa as a small child I knew the true meaning of Christmas and we are teaching that to our little ones.  If you ask Ethan why we celebrate Christmas he will tell you it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  And he will even tell you Christmas eve is Jesus birthday eve. 
  I love the imagination that Ethan shows me.  He told me he believed Santa was real and then asked how Santa gets into our house since we don't have a chimney.  I asked him how he thought Santa might get into our house.  He paused for a moment and then said Santa must cut a hole in our roof and then he fixes it before he leaves. 
  What kind of mom would I be to burst this bubble about Santa?  We will have to see what the future holds in regards to the Santa debate.  But, Christmas morning there was a plate of cookie crumbs and an empty glass of milk on the kitchen table.