I have not been here much, even after I swore that I was back! Another bout with illness, a minor family feud, a holiday visit with one birthfamily, and a BAD case of ‘ not even close to being ready for Christmas day ' have all sadly kept me away from the computer.

We did not even think that we would squeeze in a visit with Santa this year, but luckily we were able to go to the mall on the 22nd and get our traditional picture on his lap. I am happy to report that my oldest, almost 11 now, still has a wonderful, innocent belief in the jolly old elf. This year her wavering (egged on by her classmates) was pushed back toward the camp of believers by an email from Santa himself, as well as some things he said at the mall that confirmed for her that he indeed sent the correspondence.

Some might wonder at why my holding on tight to her belief in Santa has such importance, and I guess I have just recently begun to wonder why I feel this way myself. For me Santa is more about an ideal, a state of innocence and trust, more than it is in him as a ‘real’ person. I admit I hate to see any of the kids navigate beyond that place of believing in the virtues Santa reminds them of at our annual visit...Be kind to others, practice forgiveness, and it is always better to give than to receive. These are all things we try to teach in our home. Santa helps back us up with that a bit. The larger world can be such a hurtful and unforgiving place, I suppose I want to shield my children from it as long as possible. I know that will not last forever, but like most parents I want to try. Hanging on to Santa is just a small part of that.

Trying to some how shield my kids from the difficulties of life also makes me think about our open adoptions. I realize that our goal in having very open adoptions was so that our children could know their complete stories and not feel like they were unloved or unwanted by birthfamily. Eventually I know that they will have to process and deal with the reality that their adoptions, no matter how open, have meant some very real and incredibly difficult loss for them in life. Who could blame a parent for wanting to avoid that sort of revelation for as long as possible? Of course that has never meant that we lie or hide things adoption related from our children, but we do dole out bits and pieces, saving the most difficult for when they might be old enough to process it best.

For this year I am thankful that my daughter’s faith and innocence when it comes to the man in red has lingered through yet another season. This year he could again back us up when it comes to those lessons we hope the kids pick up from the holiday. Amidst the hustle and bustle and sometimes commercialism that Christmas can all to often be, Santa can be a good thing, if you do it right. Of course Santa’s lesson is also backing up the main reason for the season, Jesus Christ, and his eternal teaching. We never forget His place in our family! Tonight we are on our way to the midnight, candlelight service at church, the kids bundled in their jammies. This is a tradition that I also hope we can pass down to our children. I hope that their faith in Jesus remains constant to serve them their whole lives long, but for just another year I am thankful that all three of the kids also believe in Santa Claus too.

Merry Christmas!

Photo Credit:© 2007 Deb Donatti The kids at birthfamily party (a cousin acting as the Santa