As a 7 year old, I began to question the existance of Santa. My parents were out for the evening, and my aunt was babysitting. This seemed like a great opportunity to explore this question. I told my aunt that I didn’t think there was a Santa and she looked at me in shock.
"Oh Joyce, you are just like your sister Mary. I remember one year she didn’t believe either, and she almost didn’t get anything for Christmas!"
Well, that got me attention right away! I asked her what happened. She said, "Mary had tip-toed down the stairs, trying to see who was placing the gifts under the tree. Just at that moment, Santa flew by on his sleigh with his reindeer. Good thing Santa was looking for a spot on the roof, and didn’t see her through the window!"
Yes, that was a good thing! I better not get caught snooping either! So I promised her that was not going to happen to me. But I persisted. "How will Santa get here because we have no snow?" Living in Buffalo NY, this was not a prospect I had ever had to worry about until this very year! She said, "Oh, never fear. Santa has a big black car that he uses to deliver the gifts then.
I was somehow satisfied with that answer….at least until I shared the information with my class the next day. They laughed at me saying they never heard anything about Santa driving a car! At least no one doubted Santa! But after that conversation I was sure I would be nestled, all snuggled in bed on Christmas eve that year! I was not going to miss out on my gifts!
